Standing on the doorstep beside Gabriel, Misha waved at his sister and Yuki, who were making their way to the car in the driveway. However, Masha's steps faltered not long after, and she eventually stopped dead in her tracks, a few feet away from the car. She seemed to hesitate, unsure whether she should speak or keep silent. Finally, she looked back at her brother, a slight frown creasing her face.
"Are you sure you don't want to return home with me?" she asked, her tone careful. "Mom has been worried lately. You've been coming here every morning and evening, and she's been asking questions. Yesterday, she even tested the waters with me to see if you haven't been hanging out with a bad crowd…."
"Well, just say I'm at Dereck's then! It should quell her worries a little. Besides, I told her we had a big project to do for school, and the teacher appointed us as a team. The straight-A student should be able to get a grip on the troublemaker, right? I also added I wanted to write a flawless report since my grades haven't been so good lately, and so will pass most of my time at his house—"
"You do know that you and Dereck aren't in the same grade, much less in the same class?" Masha interrupted him. "A certain someone repeated a year in primary school, remember? And mom is aware of that."
"…" Misha blanked for a second. "Ah. Right."
Gabriel coughed to stifle a laugh while Masha shook her head, an exasperated but loving smile on her lips. Her brother's ability to lie was as poor as ever. The lies weren't bad per se, but they were always flawed. Thankfully, their mom was very lenient and wouldn't point them out. She was the kind who'd rather wait for their children to open up instead of forcing it, though she'd still snoop around a bit.
"Anyway," Misha cleared his throat, "Dereck is a better liar than me. He'll confirm I slept over if she asks him, so it should be fine...?"
"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say." Masha rolled her eyes before adding with a smirk, "And you know, Dereck didn't have much of a choice but to become a good liar with you around. You always use him as a scapegoat."
"Isn't that what friends are for?"
A hearty laugh resounded at these words, and then, silence fell.
Masha looked at her brother a moment longer, her eyes soft. She turned on her heel and walked to the car, waving back at Misha. That done, she climbed into the passenger seat and closed the door. With an apologetic smile, she glanced askance at Yuki, who was already seated in the driver seat, and nodded to let her know that they could leave. Soon after, the car drove outside of the gate.
However, Misha didn't move, his eyes still locked on the empty driveway.
"Are you coming in?"
Gabriel's voice was like a cold shower, and the teenager jolted upon hearing it. For a second, he had forgotten him, growing lost in thought as he watched the car disappear into the road. It made him scratch his cheek in embarrassment.
"Not now. I want to stay outside and breathe some fresh air for a bit. You can go in first."
"Hm." Gabriel made a sound of acknowledgment but didn't move. Instead, he silently stayed by the teenager's side, glancing at his side profile. The chilly evening breeze blew his hair, and strawberry blond strands flew in all directions. Gently, Gabriel stretched a hand and brushed a messy lock behind his ear.
Misha tilted his head, and their gazes met. The teenager's blue irises had taken on darker hues in the dim light, mirroring the star-lit sky. They were heavy with emotions, yet a bright and stubborn fire burned in their depths.
After what seemed to be an eternity, one word came to Gabriel's mind: beautiful.
Misha's eyes genuinely were beautiful, not only because of their clear color. He always wore his feelings on his sleeve, whatever they may be. With this in mind, his eyes betrayed all of his thoughts, flickers of emotions always flying about. Sometimes, they were like a storm that seemed about to engulf everything, and other times, like a calm sea.
"If you stay outside for too long, you'll catch a cold," Gabriel finally said, gently stroking his cheek before bringing his hand back to his side. "Let's go in and sleep, hm?"
The teenager opened his mouth, but no words left it in the end. Under the man's gentle gaze, he couldn't seem to gather the courage to say no. So instead, he nodded.
***
"You didn't dry your hair…?"
The question escaped his lips as Gabriel glanced at Misha, who had just entered the bedroom after showering. Because he hadn't dried his hair, barely shuffling it with a towel, water dripped from the tip and wetted the collar of his shirt. The teenager hadn't brought his pajamas, so he had borrowed Gabriel's. However, they were too big for him and hung loose on his frailer body. He also had to hold the pants lest they fell to his ankles.
"Too tired," came the answer, followed by a yawn. "It's gonna dry by itself anyway."
"You do know your hair will be a mess of tangled knots tomorrow if you don't dry it before going to bed? Last time, you ran out of patience and were just about to fetch the scissors.…."
"Dry it for me then," Misha shrugged.
"Fine," Gabriel sighed, having expected that outcome. "Bring me the hairdryer and a hairbrush."
He didn't have to say it twice: Misha turned on his heels and went back to the bathroom next door before quickly returning to the bedroom with the hairdryer and the hairbrush. He then leaped to the bed with a content grin and sat before Gabriel, closing his eyes and bowing his head. Not long after, hot air blew against the nape of his neck.
The loud sound of the hairdryer soon filled the room. Neither of them spoke as Gabriel gently brushed and dried Misha's hair, each of his movements slow and gentle. Gabriel spoke again only after being done drying the teenager's hair, putting the hairdryer and the hairbrush on the night table.
"Sometimes," he chuckled as he ran his fingers in the silky smooth hair, "I feel like your personal attendant."
"What do you mean? You are my personal attendant."
"I don't remember having agreed to that."
"You did, you totally did!" Misha sneered before pausing. "Anyway, today was exhausting, and I'm dead tired. So I'm going to sleep."
Not waiting for Gabriel's answer, he rolled over on the bed on his side, grabbing the man's wrist to drag him under the blanket. Gabriel barely had the time to remove his glasses when his head hit the pillow, almost having to throw said glasses on the night table, just next to the hairdryer. Misha then snuggled against his chest, wrapping his arms around his waist. He was like an octopus, trapping the man with his limbs and holding him close.
A helpless smile stretched Gabriel's lips, and he cooperatively put his hands on the teenager's back, stroking it with his fingertips. He didn't comment about how suffocating the position was and allowed the "octopus" to have his way.
Since the kidnapping incident, Misha had become very clingy. Because of his fear of touch, he had never been the hugging type, always maintaining a certain distance between himself and others. Yet, now, whenever night fell and Gabriel was around, he'd nestle in the man's arms. Of course, a guest room had been prepared for the teenager, but he never used it—he'd rather sneak into Gabriel's bedroom.
Though Misha didn't admit it, and probably wouldn't, he wasn't sleeping well lately. Whenever he was left alone, scenes of the kidnapping flashed before his eyes, and his stomach twisted with anxiety. He felt at ease only when he clung to Gabriel, his ear plastered against his chest. The man's regular breathing and heartbeat eased his mind, and he finally could enter dreamland. Otherwise, he could not help but think back on what had happened, guilt tugging at his conscience. If only he had been more courageous…. maybe Jake wouldn't have lost his eye.
Whatever Gabriel thought of his sudden clinginess, he didn't ask him anything, silently comforting him every time instead. He never complained about becoming his human pillow; rather, he opened his arms to welcome him. He knew the teenager needed body warmth, so Gabriel gave him just that.
"You think Jake managed to kick Stephan out of his room…?" Misha asked in a drowsy voice, wanting to make small talk to fill up the silence. "He's awfully clingy to Jake now."
"Stephan has always loved to tease my brother," Gabriel chuckled. "When he was avoiding him, he'd chase him around, and now that Jake isn't, he's bothering him in other ways."
"I swear that guy is worse than an elementary school kid," Misha snorted. "Seriously, how old does he think he is?"
"Mentally or physically?"
"That was a stupid question, my bad." Misha paused, then tentatively said, "Gaby… mind if I ask you something?"
"Hm?"
"Why do you say "our father" when you talk to Jake? And act as if you have a blood relationship? Honestly, it has been bothering me lately. I mean, didn't Angela have him with another man? He's even older than you by a few weeks."
"Well, Matthew cheated on my mom a few days before their marriage, and who else could it have been with if not Angela? Jake isn't my step-brother, but my half-brother. Our green eyes are pretty much the proof of it."
"…Your father is trash."
Misha's indignant tone made Gabriel laugh slightly. Before, the fact that Jake shared half of his blood was something that disgusted him. Now, however, he was glad blood ties bound them. Calling Jake his brother didn't leave a bad taste in his mouth anymore. Instead, it brought about a warm feeling.
_____________________
Edited by Clozed!
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