After Gabriel woke up, it took his clouded mind a moment to clear up. He lazily rubbed his eyes with a somewhat foolish expression on his face, seemingly about to fall back to sleep. Another moment passed before memories of the previous day popped into his mind, reminding him that he was out camping with Masha's family.
Massaging his stiff neck, Gabriel glanced around the tent. Masha's sleeping bag was empty, but the teenager hadn't gone far as he could hear her chatting with her parents. They were trying to keep their voice down, but it was without much success. Masha had a loud voice, just like her little brother, and being quiet wasn't in her dictionary.
But although Masha was quite noisy, that wasn't what had disturbed his sleep. No, it was the blasting heat. As the sun rose higher, its rays beat down on the tent more fiercely, increasing the temperature inside the tent until it became too warm to be comfortable. It had become something akin to a greenhouse.
"Gosh, I'm drenched in sweat," Gabriel mumbled, getting ready to go out of his sleeping bag. However, the moment he moved, something rustled beside him, and he found out that Misha was clinging to him, adding another source of warmth.
'No wonder I woke up,' the teenager silently chuckled as he lifted the sleeping bag to peek at the child. 'But this little one seems to be sleeping just well.'
Misha was gripping his clothes and snuggling against him. When Gabriel moved to sit up straight, the boy's face, which he had buried in the small of his back, fell beside his thigh with a thud. But Misha didn't wake up—his eyelids didn't even twitch. Instead, he snored and drooled, even smirking in his sleep.
The sight made Gabriel raise an eyebrow, and only after a while did he react. Gently, he slid a pillow under the child's head before whispering in a soft yet mocking voice, "Seriously, kid. Do you hate me or not? You'll need to make a choice one of these days."
His only response was a grunt, and Misha disregarded the pillow with what seemed to be a snort, pushing his forehead against the teenager's leg instead. Next, he instinctively rubbed his nose against his thigh and then very naturally continued to snore while grinning, appearing quite satisfied.
Gabriel was at a loss for words to describe how he felt. He didn't know whether to be annoyed or amused.
After staring at that peaceful face for a while longer, Gabriel carefully freed himself from Misha's grip. There was no way he'd wait for the brat to wake up; he could not imagine how Misha would react if he were to know that he had clung to him in his sleep. Gabriel didn't know why, but he had the strange feeling it'd put his life in danger. Deciding to trust his instincts this time, he quickly left the tent like a thief.
Half an hour later, Misha finally emerged from the tent, clumsily hopping to the picnic table while yawning. He absently sat beside his sister, his eyelids still heavy.
It had been a long time since he had slept so well. Misha couldn't help but smile foolishly, thinking it was due to his sister's presence. There was nothing more reassuring than having her by his side, and thus the nightmares didn't come to haunt his dreams. Or, at the very least, that was his reasoning.
Because Misha had hurt his ankle yesterday, they had no other choice but to change their plan for today. They couldn't go hiking, so they decided to play board games and card games instead. Luckily, Gulnas had brought many different kinds of games. So once they were bored, they could change to another game and keep things funny and entertaining.
Every time they played a new round, Misha put all of his attention and concentration on killing Gabriel off first, even if it meant losing the game. In other words, he resorted to kamikaze strategies, not minding if he died as long as Gabriel perished with him.
Misha also made sure to help either his mother or his sister take the victory. And when he could make things difficult for his father, he also gladly did it. It was petty, but it helped him calm down his pent-up anger and turbulent emotions. After his nerves relaxed, he even found the games quite enjoyable, especially when Gabriel had this dumbfounded look on his face after losing without knowing why. It made him feel quite proud of himself.
When the boy wasn't directly confronting Gabriel on the board games, he sneaked glances at the teenager now and then. Being discreet wasn't his forte, and not only did Gabriel notice his gaze, but so did the rest of the table.
Noticing Masha's grin and the two adults' puzzled eyes, Gabriel didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Only he realized that the child's hot gaze wasn't due to a love-kind feeling—he'd have long been dead and buried six feet under if eyes could kill.
'Goodness, there's really no need to glare at me and target me in the games so much,' he thought helplessly. He hadn't exposed the child's lie yesterday, so why would he today? If he wanted to blabber about what had truly happened, he'd have done so directly after returning from the beach, not the next day!
Of course, Gulnas had asked why Misha was piggyback riding on Gabriel's back when they arrived at the campsite, and the kid, with bright red ears, mumbled that he had tripped on a root, fallen on the trail, and hurt himself. Although Gabriel knew the truth, he decided to play along, adding to the child's story that he hadn't been fast enough to catch him. His handsome face was filled with remorse, making his words all the more convincing.
Unsurprisingly, Misha didn't want his family to know he had fought, so the teenager wisely shut his mouth. If the children Misha had beaten to a pulp didn't show up, Gabriel thought that he might as well hide the truth. He hoped that it'd make the boy realize that he was on his side, and maybe the kid would stop with the nasty pranks.
Well, there was nothing wrong with dreaming.
However, it seemed like Misha didn't trust him, always paying attention to his every move since their return from the beach. Even when he went to the bathroom, the child closely followed behind him like a duckling with its mother. His thoughts were so obvious that the teenager was left speechless. Honestly, that boy wasn't born to be a liar.
The day passed in this way, and when the evening arrived, Alexey had to leave. He worked the very next day and couldn't stay any longer, or he could say goodbye to his sleep. So, after kissing his wife and reluctantly parting with her, he promised to come back in a week to fetch them.
After his father went back home, Misha's mood improved drastically, and as an indirect result, he pestered Gabriel a little less. Just a little less.
A few hours later, the sun went down, and they sat around the fire to listen to Mrs. Brown's stories. Because Misha had refused to take his nap to keep an eye on Gabriel, he quickly dozed off. Later on, Gabriel carried him inside the tent when it was time to sleep.
However, Misha woke up soon after the teenagers tucked him into bed, and after realizing he had dozed off before everyone again, he grew irritated with himself. Of course, that meant he had to vent his frustration on someone. And the perfect victim just so happened to be within reach.
Gabriel had just laid down when the child shook his shoulder. Unlike Masha, who was already snoring, Gabriel hadn't had the chance to fall into a deep slumber.
"Misha? What's wrong?"
"There is noise outside," the child pitifully said. "I'm scared."
"Well, we are camping in the forest, so it's normal if you hear some noises at night," Gabriel patiently explained, though he had a hunch the kid was probably lying through his teeth. "There are a few nocturnal animals who are quite active at this hour."
"What if it's a bear? Won't it tear the tent to shreds to come in and eat us?"
"I don't think there is a bear. And even if there is, it wouldn't do that."
"I saw it in a movie, so it definitely can happen!"
"Movies don't always reflect reality, Misha."
"I don't believe you!" the boy snorted, pounding his small fists on the teenager's chest. "Go and check! I can't sleep like this!"
The teenager's mouth twitched, and he suddenly felt like teasing the kid a little. "Didn't you say that the bear would eat us? If I check outside and there is indeed a bear, won't I become his supper? Could it be that you want me to be eaten?"
Misha paused, one of his arms frozen in mid-air. Then, he let it drop, and his fist hit Gabriel with a loud thud. "In the movie, a strong-looking man defeated the bear with his bare hands, you know!"
"So, are you implying that I look strong enough to beat a bear with my bare hands?" Gabriel asked, trying to hold back his laughter.
Misha gnashed his teeth. "Yes! Yes, yes, I do! So, get out and check what's outside!"
Feeling like he had been tricked into complimenting him, Misha very much wanted to kick Gabriel out.
"I'll go, I'll go," the teenager coaxed, fumbling around to find the flashlight. Then, he unzipped the door and stuck out his head to scan his surroundings. "I don't see anything."
"Of course not! You didn't even step out!" the child complained. "And you're not even wearing your glasses."
Sighing in his heart, Gabriel listened to the brat's orders and walked out of the tent. He might as well sweep the area with his flashlight a few times to please the little Lord.
When the teenager was about to say that there was nothing, he noticed something a meter away from him. Frowning, he took a step forward, and when the light fell upon it and revealed its appearance, Gabriel sucked in a breath.
Before he could even curse, a terrible odor assaulted his nose, making him wince as his stomach churned. He had succeeded in startling the only thing in the world that no one wanted to startle.
______________________________
Mini theater
Author: Misha, what would you do if you actually were to come face to face with a bear?
MC: Hit him in the crotch before running away!
Author: And if it's female?
MC: Use Gabriel as a meat shield, then run away while the bear eats him!
ML:...
Chapter revised on 2022-05-07
Edited by Clozed! ♥
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