71 Gabriel's Best Friend

Misha looked around the house for the nth time, making sure everything was clean and sparkling. He held the feather duster as if it was a sword and moved about 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 stifle her laughter. Gabriel, who stood by her side, also couldn't restrain his lips from curving up. This kid, honestly!

"Even if there is a little bit of dust left, my friend won't mind it. I don't think he'll even notice it."

Misha's body stiffened like a thief caught red-handed. Still, he grumped, "Who said I was cleaning up to please your friend? Don't you know that dust is bad for the lungs? I don't want my sister to develop lung problems, that's all!"

"Is that so," Gabriel played along, but his smile couldn't hide the flickers of amusement dancing in his eyes. "You're a very considerate brother."

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

"Yes, sir!"

Gabriel quickly pushed Masha's wheelchair away, and they both disappeared into the kitchen. They had wanted to offer a helping hand, but one couldn't move around, while the other didn't even know the most basic things about housework. Besides, Misha wanted to clean the house, not trash it, so he outright 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 reports he had brought home.

Misha took a deep breath, telling himself that the house was clean enough. But a second later, he still couldn't help feeling nervous, and he started to flutter about again. Although he wouldn't say it aloud, he wanted to make a good impression on Gabriel's friend. It was the first time he had invited someone over—both in this life and the previous one. Gabriel had never invited anyone in their past life, even after years of cohabiting with him and his sister.

So, of course, he felt a little nervous!

Misha let out another sigh and told himself to stop thinking. Even if Gabriel's friend found their house dirty, why would it matter? He was a stranger, and his opinions were none of his concern.

But despite all the rants he did in his head, Misha's feet never rested, fluttering about like a butterfly. He cleaned up the place until the bell rang. Only then did he reluctantly hide all the cleaning tools in the closet and go to open the door. Wearing a bright smile, he lifted his head, and his eyes met those of a teenager.

The words about to leave his mouth were swallowed back almost instantly. The boy then stilled, a foolish expression on his face.

A few seconds later, Misha finally came back to his senses. He slammed the door shut and ran away upstairs, 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?" Masha asked when she saw her little brother flee as if he had met the devil in the flesh, climbing the stairs two steps at a time.

"I need to pee! Like, right now!" Misha shouted back 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 could. It was a conditioned reflex. Whenever Misha could, he'd 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 mistaking them for models. Sometimes, it made him wonder why he didn't simply become a designer instead of running a bar and torturing the common people.

Although Stephan was currently ten years younger, Misha still recognized him at a glance; heterochromia wasn't common, and he only knew one person with such eyes. 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—obviously, 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 in a bar. And it still hadn't been built, for starters! So how could Stephan be his boss? That was in their past life.

Things were different now. They didn't have an employee-to-boss relationship, so Misha didn't need to be careful with his words for fear of being fired. There was no need to hide. Instead, venting his pent-up frustration was not a dream anymore. He could pay him back all the grievances he suffered at his hands. Now, he could and would take revenge for each costume he had to wear over the months he worked for Stephan—and he had to wear many.

A somewhat sinister smile slowly made its way to the child's lips. It was payback time!

***

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," Stephan chuckled as he stepped inside 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 that scary," Gabriel retorted 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," Stephan shrugged before adding, "Don't you agree with me, Masha? I'm beautiful, right?"

"Sure. When you shut your mouth!"

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

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

"…"

Stephan wisely decided to shut up. When these 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. With this in mind, he silently took off his coat and boots, a small pout on his lips.

When the teenager lifted his head after sullenly putting his boots in 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. I know my eyes are a bit out of the ordinary, but I swear I'm human!"

Misha's mouth twitched, and he replied matter-of-factly, "Well, you sure 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 at least 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 the teenager 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,' Misha inwardly sighed before getting up and running down the stairs.

He stopped abruptly before Stephan, almost knocking into his stomach. Then, 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 about 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... They couldn't help but glance at each other, but neither said 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. But as long as it wasn't them, they wouldn't try to stop the child at the risk of becoming his next target. If anything, Stephan was the sacrificial lamb, and they were but innocent bystanders.

_____________

Mini theater

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

MC: …NO!

ML: What's wrong?

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

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

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

Masha: I'd like to see it too!

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

ML: …

Author: Siscon.

MC: Die.

Author has something to say: Stephan makes his appearance again, and you know what? I love that guy so much! It's gonna be fun, hehe.

__________________________

Chapter revised on 2022-05-27

Edited by Clozed! ♥

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