128 Loose Screws

Misha sucked in a deep breath, and for the nth time today, he told himself not to kill Jake—or at the very least, not now. Strangling him to death in the middle of the shopping mall would leave too many witnesses, after all, making it hard to pretend he hadn't done it. And going to jail wasn't on his agenda just yet.

"Are you ok?" Tristan asked in a small voice, tugging on his sleeve. "You've been sighing a lot since this morning."

"I'm just a little tired, don't worry."

"You didn't sleep well yesterday?"

"Nah, I slept just fine. What about you?"

"Yeah," the boy chuckled, scratching his cheek with his index. "I hope Gabriel slept fine too. It seems like I mistook him for a pillow last night."

"That guy sleeps like a log! You could bite him, hit him, or even scream in his ears, and he wouldn't wake up. Anyway, it's not like it's the first time you cling to him in your sleep, so stop worrying," Misha rolled his eyes, glancing at Jake, who was negotiating the price of whatever had caught his eye with a clerk. "Say, is there a store you want to go to?"

"No, not really."

"Not even the biggest toy store in town? It's in this shopping mall, you know."

The child fidgeted, appearing unsure of what to do. Anyone with eyes could tell he'd love to go but didn't dare to say it, making the teenager's heart turn soft.

"In any case, I want to go," Misha winked, stifling a laugh. "So, how about tagging along?"

"Really?!" Stars seemed to sparkle in the boy's eyes, but they soon vanished, replaced by a dull light. "But Jake doesn't like that kind of place. He won't be happy if we insist on going."

"He's kinda busy right now," Misha snorted, pointing to the man, who was still bargaining with the poor clerk. "We'll just make a short trip and come back before he can even notice. So, how about it?"

Tristan hesitated but eventually nodded. Truth be told, he wasn't fond of shopping for clothes; however, toys were another story. No matter how mature he tried to behave, he was just a child, and children loved toys.

"Should we tell my brother? That we're leaving, I mean."

"No need, no need," Misha snorted, gripping the boy's hand before dragging him to the opposite side of the shopping mall, glad to leave the jerk behind. "If something catches your eye, just tell me, and I'll buy it for you."

"I don't want to use your pocket money. I have some, so it's fine."

"First, it's my own money," the teenager scoffed. "I started to work two weeks ago, and I just got my first paycheck." He wrinkled his nose, seemingly thinking about something unpleasant. "Second, I wanna buy you something, and what's wrong with that?"

"But it's your first paycheck!" the boy paused, peering at Misha through a few strands of brown hair falling before his eyes. "Shouldn't you, I don't know, buy something for yourself?"

"Oh please, don't start! I just told you I wanna buy you something, so don't quibble and accept. Anyway, it's my money, and I can do whatever I want with it."

The teenager huffed, not allowing the boy to protest whatsoever. Whether Tristan liked it or not, he'd buy him something!

Over the years, Misha had grown fond of the kid, treating him like a younger brother. He even had become at ease with hugging him. At first, Misha could not stand it, goosebumps spreading all over his skin and shivers crawling down his spine. But now, he could naturally take his hand, just like he did earlier.

"And don't you dare look at the price and choose the cheapest thing!" Misha warned with a hearty laugh. "But, well, don't choose the priciest toy either. I'm still quite poor."

"…Ok," Tristan finally conceded, an amused smile blooming on his face.

As they walked toward the toy store, the child wrapped his arms around Misha's wrist, holding him close. He could not help but giggle, pink bubbles seemingly floating around him. Except for Gabriel, Misha was the only one to treat him so gently, and honestly, it made him the happiest boy on earth.

***

"Misha must be hating your guts right now," Stephan said, sipping on his coffee. "I can't believe you asked him to take your brothers out. One day, his temper is going to blow up, and we'll find Jake dismembered, limbs tossed in trash bins and all."

"Don't jinx it. He has been holding himself quite well these past few years." Gabriel smiled coldly, staring at his friend with eyes full of hidden meanings. "I'm afraid you're the one who will make him blow his top sooner rather than later."

"He hasn't in his first life, so he shouldn't in this one either."

"In his past life, he had no other choice but to work for you. It's not the case now, and he doesn't seem to care one bit about you being his boss. I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to stab you with a kitchen knife."

"Worst case scenario, I'll just hide behind your back if he's about to lose it."

"Don't use me as a meat shield."

"Not a meat shield, a decoy. It's not the same."

"Oh?"

"Whenever Misha sees you, he forgets about everything else and always runs to your side like a puppy. It's going to give me enough time to flee."

"Fair enough," Gabriel nodded, his smile growing gentler as Misha's flushed face crossed his mind. Who knows what the teenager was thinking, but lately, he turned beet-red whenever they met eyes for too long. Often, he would stutter excuses and run away, a trace of guilt in his voice.

"Could you at least deny it?"

"Why should I when it's the truth?"

Stephan squinted before scoffing. Although Misha had grown up, he was still an open book, his emotions displayed on his face for everyone to see. His feeling for Gabriel had only grown deeper over time, though everyone pretended to be blind and didn't point it out, lest the teenager lashed out at them. Unfortunately, he wasn't a boy anymore, and his fists weren't harmless little things. Stirring up his temper was akin to courting death—and yet, it didn't stop Stephan from teasing him whenever the chance arose.

"Your smirk is annoying as hell," Stephan grunted, pursing his lips into a pout. "I still believe Misha has terrible taste in men, just letting you know."

Gabriel turned a deaf ear to his friend's not-so-discreet jab and decided to look around, taking in his surroundings. He had done so earlier, but he did it a second time anyway.

The designer had done a fantastic job, and the place gave off a warm and cozy feeling. The walls were made of grayish wood, the floor of darker gray planks. The lights were dim enough to create a pleasant atmosphere without being overly intimate, and a vintage piano was in the spotlight near the window wall. The café, which turned into a bar at night, wasn't as eccentric as its owner; instead, it was a calm place that soothed the mind.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you decided to open this place," Gabriel admitted, his eyes traveling back to his friend's. "I didn't think you were serious when you told me you wanted to open a café-bar as your other self did in the first timeline."

"After listening to Misha's ranting, I kind of fell in love with the place. I've never been an ambitious person to start with, and as long as I can do something I like, it's good enough for me." Stephan paused to grin, his tone growing mischievous. "In addition, this is a very recreational occupation that won't ever draw your stepmother's attention. The fewer times I meet her, the better I'll feel."

"I guess you have a point."

Years ago, they had managed to discard the biggest danger, but being careful wouldn't hurt. Even if he was a little eccentric, a mere café owner did not pose a threat.

"Always being cautious of everything is not a life, you know," Stephan sighed. "Another occupation would probably have been more useful to you, but I want to live my life to the fullest. Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? If you had chosen to do something you hated for the sake of my revenge, I'd have been a little upset," Gabriel chuckled, mischief glinting in the depths of his emerald eyes as he added, "And I get to see Misha wearing all kinds of cute clothes almost every day. What more could I ask?"

"Oh come on, spare me! You lovebirds should just get together already."

"Hm, in a few more years, maybe."

"…" Stephan made a deadpan face, deciding not to pursue the matter further. "Anyway, how is your investigation going? Did you find anything interesting yet?"

"Just a few pieces of information left and right. Nothing worth mentioning. And you, what about your father? Is there any news?"

"Hm, not really. It's best like this, I'd say. He doesn't seem to have stumbled on anything compromising yet, and I hope it'll stay that way."

"I hope so too."

A little after transmigrating back in time, Gabriel told Stephan everything he knew, including his father's attempted murder. Back then, they both concluded that it was best for Harold, Stephan's father, not to find out about whatever secret he had discovered in the two previous timelines. That naive man could not be reasoned with, and they feared, for good reasons, that he would run to his death headfirst.

Forsaking Harold's life for his revenge wasn't something Gabriel wanted. He wasn't cold-blooded enough to endanger his best friend's father's life.

However, keeping Harold away from work on the days he was most likely to have stumbled upon some well-kept secrets hadn't been an easy task. And, of course, Stephan had to come up with the craziest plan he could, almost giving Gabriel a heart attack.

Just thinking about it was enough to make Gabriel grit his teeth. He knew his friend had a few loose screws, but he hadn't expected him to be this foolish. Why couldn't he come up with normal plans?! It was bad for his heart!

As the memories of that day flashed in Gabriel's mind, his eyes grew distant.

On that day, he had almost lost someone he held dear again.

__________________________

Chapter revised on 2022-06-14

Edited by Clozed! ♥

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