Misha handed Stephan a glass of grape juice, and the teenager thanked him before swallowing a big mouthful. Immediately after, he spat out the "juice" on the kitchen floor, his pale face turning bright red. The dark purple liquid splattered up his pants, but he didn't even notice it, too busy coughing his lungs out.
Gabriel and Masha looked at Stephan with sympathy. Thankfully, they had taken their own precautions, and their clothes weren't dirtied, unlike the teenager.
After entering the kitchen, they maintained a safe distance from Stephan under the pretext of having little space for moving Masha's wheelchair about. Although they didn't know what Misha had planned, it was better to be safe than sorry. As long as they didn't stay close to the boy's target, they shouldn't suffer too much from collateral damage.
Standing near the table, Misha was leisurely drinking his glass of juice, innocently glancing at Stephan; the teenager was sticking out his tongue in disgust and pain, sucking in deep breaths. His grimacing face was quite priceless, and Misha couldn't help but regret not having taken a picture of it. It'd have made a great souvenir.
Seeing the child take a sip, Gabriel and Masha glanced at each other before tentatively tasting their own glasses of juice. Realizing that the beverage didn't have any weird flavor added to it, they heaved a sigh of relief and started to drink it without any more misgivings.
Stephan was almost angered into laughing. He glared at Gabriel and Masha with tears glittering at the corner of his eyes, but both averted their eyes and pretended not to see him. Friends, his ass!
"What happened to my juice?" Stephan asked Misha with a bit of resentment in his voice. "It tastes, well, it tastes awful! Very, very awful!"
"I may have mistaken the salt for the sugar."
"And for that super spicy flavor?!"
"My hand may also have slipped," Misha smiled sweetly, not showing any guilt whatsoever.
In his opinion, he had been quite lenient with his prank. He only added a pinch of crushed jalapenos to Stephan's glass of juice, even though he had had the urge to add a lot more. So, shouldn't the teenager thank him for his mercy? What was he doing, complaining nonstop?
A few months ago, Misha prepared many things to make Gabriel's daily life a living hell, including those crushed dried jalapenos. Unfortunately, he hadn't had the chance to use them before today.
He smashed the peppers himself back then, so each flake was very thin, almost like powder. Their size and texture were thus perfect for hiding them in food and drinks. Still, being cautious never hurt, so Misha had chosen a dark-colored juice and mixed everything in a plastic glass. This way, Stephan wouldn't see at a glance the residues left after mixing in the crushed dried jalapenos. But some tiny flakes floated on the surface of the juice, something he couldn't do anything about. Thankfully, Stephan hadn't bothered taking a closer look and just gulped up everything.
It resulted in him burning his tongue and spitting the juice all over the floor. It also meant Misha would have to clean up the kitchen again. Still, it was well worth it.
"Can I have a glass of milk? I'm dying here!" Stephan pleaded, streams of tears rolling down his flushed cheeks.
"Sorry, we don't have any milk left. Gabriel drank the last bit this morning."
Gabriel choked on his saliva upon hearing the child's words, feeling somewhat wronged. They had bought three liters two days ago, so there was more than enough milk left in the fridge. Sparing some wouldn't kill them! But even if he was thinking such things, Gabriel didn't dare to voice his thoughts for fear of incurring Misha's wrath. The boy was in charge of cooking, and if he were to offend him, who knew what kind of living hell his dinners would become. The worm-flavored muffins were a good indicator.
In the end, his stomach was more important than his friend's well-being. Gabriel could only light a candle and pray Misha wouldn't traumatize him.
"Then what about bread…?"
"Gabriel also ate the last slice this morning."
"…" Stephan's mouth twitched. "So, what's that?"
Misha eyed the bread on the counter, and without so much as a change in his expression, he said, "Something that looks like bread but isn't."
"I'm begging you here! Have some mercy!" Stephan cried out.
He was about to lose it and snatch the bread whether he had received the permission or not! The fire in his throat was killing him, and his tongue was so numb that he could barely move it and talk. Even his ears felt hot and humid, as if they were about to emit smoke.
"Sure. If you become my slave for the rest of the day, I'll help you out!"
"Fine, fine! Anything you want! Just give me a slice of bread, please!" Stephan readily agreed, happily throwing his pride in the trash if it could put an end to his misery.
Satisfied with Stephan's answer, Misha didn't continue to make things difficult and even gave him the whole bread. He then reminded him with a broad smile, "Don't overeat. There's still dinner tonight."
Stephan gulped at those words, almost choking on the bread he was wolfing down. Strangely enough, he wasn't looking forward to dinner, even wondering if he shouldn't just go on a hunger strike—he didn't want to die young!
"Don't give me that look!" Misha snorted. "Also, you're in charge of cutting the onions and peeling the potatoes."
"Ha? But I'm a guest!"
"No, you're my slave!"
"…"
He did agree to be his slave, didn't he?
Not knowing what to do, Stephan looked at his friends with pleading eyes. However, he quickly learned that his friends were heartless; they both pretended not to know him and fled to the living room, leaving him with no choice but to help the boy prepare the dinner.
It resulted in him cutting his fingers every time he wielded the knife, bloodying the table and the cutting board.
"…"
After Stephan injured himself for the nth time, Misha couldn't stand it anymore and kicked him out of the kitchen. Although he wanted to take revenge on his ex-boss, it wasn't to the point where he wished for him to lose his fingers.
"Even babies are more useful than you!" Misha spat out, throwing a disdainful glance at the teenager.
Stephan, who had hidden behind Gabriel as soon as he entered the living room, replied with a pout, "How come? Those things only know how to cry and poop!"
"They are at least cute, unlike you!" Misha hmphed before shifting his attention to Gabriel, rudely pointing to Stephan, whose head popped out from behind the young man. "And Gabriel! When are you going to treat that guy's wounds? If I find a trace of blood in the house, regardless of how small it is, I swear you're going to sleep in the garage tonight!"
Gabriel's mouth twitched. 'Sure enough, here comes the collateral damage,' he thought, smiling coldly at his friend before gripping his wrist, lifting it so that the blood wouldn't drip on the wooden floor. He then dragged Stephan to the first-floor bathroom.
Misha observed them disappear behind the bathroom door with squinted eyes. Only after hearing the tap running did he nod, satisfied. But unknown to him, a small, amused smile stretched his lips. Seeing this, Masha couldn't restrain herself anymore and burst out laughing.
With tears glistening at the corners of her eyes, she asked in a teasing manner, "I'm bad at cutting vegetables too. Does it make me useless?"
"You're cuter than a baby, so you're forgiven," Misha said with a righteous tone before escaping into the kitchen and returning to his post—he still had lots to do!
Now that his "helper" was out of the way, cooking became easier. Although it took some time, the dinner was ready in about an hour. The enticing smell wafted over to the living room, whetting everyone's appetite. Even Stephan couldn't help but gulp in anticipation.
After the worm-flavored muffins episode, Mrs. Brown had taken her son under her wings, and she taught him how to cook. Of course, as an adult living alone in a run-down apartment, Misha had some basic skills, but he only knew how to make something that would fill up his stomach. As for the taste, he never really cared about it.
With his mother's help, his basic skills became as good as a small little chief. And after her death, he was put in charge of cooking everyone's meals—everyone else in the house only knew how to burn food and set the kitchen on fire. Therefore, after a few weeks, Misha's craftsmanship reached a new level. Most dishes he made were exquisite, and no one in the house dared to skip mealtimes.
That being said, Stephan was fortunate enough to taste the boy's cooking. Although the teenager had been a little fearful, he forgot all his misgivings after the first bite and ate with relish. He cleaned up his plate until it was sparkling and asked for seconds, delighting Misha's ego. Moreover, Stephan wasn't shy with compliments, which put Misha in a good mood, and he thus decided to delay the next prank he had in mind and let the teenager eat in peace.
Without Stephan knowing it, his sweet mouth had saved him—for the time being.
As always, Alexey and Gabriel ate in silence while Masha was busy moving her mouth and ate very slowly as a result. Stephan talked just as much as the teenage girl, but he was still the first to finish his plate. Misha was quite impressed by his ability to chitchat and eat at the same time; it was almost a talent.
All in all, dinner was lively and pleasant.
After eating, Alexey went back to his study to work, and the trio went to the living room. Misha decided to wash the dishes tomorrow and followed behind the teenagers. He hurried to sit close to his sister, who had placed her wheelchair beside the L sofa, and snatched Gabriel's seat with a proud snort.
Once comfortably seated, the boy lifted his chin, glaring at Stephan and Gabriel as if to tell them to try and take his place. Pretending not to notice it, the two averted their eyes and obediently sat on the other side of the sofa, next to each other.
The atmosphere was a little awkward, but not for long. They started to play card games soon after entering the living room, and it became lively once again. This time, Misha didn't focus on dealing with Gabriel. Instead, he attacked Stephan until the teen shed tears of frustration. Because the child had the mentality of dying together with his enemies, he suffered quite a lot despite his good cards.
In his defense, Masha and Gabriel also weren't polite and didn't hesitate to take advantage of his misery. Stephan was beaten black and blue throughout the evening, making everyone laugh at his expense. It went on until Misha fell asleep, his head resting against his sister's shoulder.
Staring at the little boy, Stephan couldn't help but wail, "Masha! How dare you lie to me?! Your brother is not cute at all! He's the devil incarnate!"
"I swear he's usually adorable. Just not with you," Masha laughed, not even trying to excuse her little brother's behavior.
"Looks like your face is not to his taste," Gabriel added solemnly. He had suffered a great deal from the kid's nasty pranks, so he did feel a certain sense of camaraderie with Stephan.
"Why is my luck so bad…? I'm heartbroken here!"
Following Stephan's whiny wail, silence fell.
A moment passed in which they did nothing but observe the sleeping boy. His breathing was faint and regular, and his lips slightly parted every time he exhaled. Asleep, he truly looked like an angel. So why was he so much of a devil when awake?! A mystery!
"…"
Another moment passed before Stephan wiped the "tears" off his cheeks and casually tossed his cards in the air. They scattered all around the living room like falling petals.
Stephan then stood up and dusted his clothes with a smile that wasn't quite a smile. "It's late. So, if you don't mind, I'll take my leave. If I stay any longer, I'm afraid you're going to destroy what little is left of my ego."
His friends responded by smiling, silently watching him put his coat and boots on. When he was about to open the door, Gabriel said softly, "Thank you for coming over."
"You're welcome. But next time you need a clown, just hire one. I'll gladly pay for it."
"You say that, but you'll still come over if we ask you," Masha chuckled before glancing at her little brother. Her smile softened as she added, "You know, it's been a long time since I last saw Misha be so carefree. It felt good to hear him laugh so much. He's always so careful and stressed around me; it's as if he's afraid to say or do something that will hurt me. It's like he's walking on eggshells whenever I'm close by."
Masha paused to bite her trembling lips. She took a deep breath before whispering in a small, broken voice, "Really, thank you for tonight."
Opening the door, Stephan didn't say anything and only winked before fleeing like a thief. Now that he had accomplished his goal and that the li'l monster was asleep, there was no reason for him to stay. There was also no need for thanks between friends, especially when all he did was be himself and make a child smile and laugh.
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Mini theater
Stephan: Why did I have to drink a jalapenos-flavored juice? What a bad joke!
ML: Would you have preferred to eat a worm-flavored muffin then?
Stephan: Frankly, I've no idea which one is worse.
__________________________
Chapter revised on 2022-05-27
Edited by Clozed! ♥
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