"Mish'!" Vanessa said, tugging on her friend's shirt. "Stop staring!"
"And why the hell should I? They stick out like sore thumbs!" Misha sulked as he pointed at the two bodyguards. The bulky men were standing at a safe distance, wearing black suits and stern expressions. "Seriously, aren't they hot?! I'd be dying of heat in their shoes."
"You do have a point, but—"
"Come on! They're basically telling the world they're bodyguards. And by association, that someone worth kidnapping is picnicking nearby. Haven't they been taught to be discreet and mingle in the crowd? They're failures as bodyguards!"
"Look at the bright side! Their scary faces and huge bodies deter people from getting close, and I don't think anyone is foolish enough to try anything with these two in the vicinity. So, how about chilling out a bit?"
Misha wasn't convinced and snorted. He couldn't help it! He'd become a little paranoid since the kidnapping incident, and he'd rather people didn't notice some young masters were enjoying themselves in the park.
Of course, Vanessa didn't know about the incident and didn't understand why Misha was being so unreasonable. He hadn't told her about what happened, just as he hadn't told Dereck. He wasn't planning to involve his friends in the matter and had kept quiet. He hadn't come to school for a few days only because he had a bout of fever, not because he was recuperating and "nursing" Jake. As a child, he was bedridden with fevers almost every day, and his friends were thus all too aware of how shitty his health could get and hadn't asked questions.
"Mish…."
"What?"
"What's with the scary smile?"
The teenager responded with a low chuckle before picking two particular sandwiches, which had been set aside. He then leaped to his feet and ran toward the bodyguards under Vanessa's incredulous gaze. He offered the sandwiches to the men; they hesitated an instant but still took a bite in the end. A moment later, the bodyguards were bent in half, coughing their lungs out, while Misha made his triumphal return. He paraded like a peacock, drawing out exasperated sighs and laughter.
"You're a devil," Vanessa said with disgust. "Why am I friends with you again?"
"Do you really need to ask?" Misha rolled his eyes. "It's 'cause you're a sadist. As far as I know, you complain but never stop me from pranking others. No, you stand by and enjoy the show instead. Heck, you didn't even try to stop me when I tampered with your boyfriend's drink!"
"Oh?" Isaac chimed in. "So you knew my hot chocolate had been sprinkled with jalapeños?"
"…How about playing a game of Frisbee?" Vanessa not-so-subtly changed the topic. She didn't wait for an answer and rolled around to rummage through a backpack, pulling out a bright green Frisbee. "You're playing with us, Tristan?"
The boy, who was munching on a carrot beside Jake, lowered his eyes to look at Vanessa. He seemed unsure, glancing at his eldest brother as if to ask for permission.
"Go and play," Jake smiled, ruffling the kid's hair. "I'm not going anywhere and will still be here when you come back."
"OK!" Tristan nodded, swallowing whole what was left of the carrot before running to Misha and Dereck, who had already moved to an open place. Isaac and Vanessa soon followed, and Masha and Yuki decided to join in too. Thus, only Jake, Gabriel, and Stephan were left behind. They sat on the blankets and watched the group run about.
They soon couldn't help but shake their heads at Misha's antics, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. The teenager took great pleasure in throwing the Frisbee too high for Isaac to catch, and he even had the guts to smirk as Vanessa's boyfriend sprinted toward it like a madman. Every time, Misha would say that his hands had slipped and that he was sorry. Yet, whenever he threw it to anyone other than Isaac, the trajectory of the Frisbee was a perfect arc. The receiver barely had to stretch their arms to grab the Frisbee.
"Isaac is going to be exhausted by the end of the day," Stephan chuckled, glad he wasn't Misha's victim this time. "Thankfully, he's in the track and field club, and his stamina isn't lacking. He'd need to run a few more laps before collapsing, right?"
"Why are you asking?" Gabriel cocked an eyebrow. "Are you afraid Misha's attention will turn back to you once Isaac can't go on?"
"Heck, yes! I'm still digesting that weapon of mass destruction he made, and if I have to run around like a headless chicken to boot…."
Gabriel's answer was a low chuckle. As long as he wasn't the one targeted, he didn't mind what Misha did. Speaking of the teenager, Gabriel shifted his gaze to him. Honestly, it felt good to see him laugh and flutter about like this. Gabriel wouldn't admit it aloud, but it had been hard to nurse Misha as a child. He was the type of person who couldn't stay still, yet he had to be bedridden most of the time following his transmigration. It was obvious how much his physical condition had affected his mental health back then, and it had been disheartening not to be able to do anything.
'It's also good to see Masha up and about and not confined to a wheelchair,' Gabriel thought as he turned his head toward Masha, and his eyes then met Tristan's mid-way. His heart was about to leap out of his throat as he saw the Frisbee closing in behind the boy's head. However, before he could warn him, his little brother somehow dodged it at the last second. This wasn't the first time it happened, as Tristan often peered back at his brothers and forgot to look out for the Frisbee.
….Was Tristan really afraid that Jake would disappear on him? Perhaps, that wasn't what he feared. He might have wanted to make sure Stephan wasn't taking liberties with his brother while he wasn't paying attention. The latter sounded quite probable now that Gabriel thought about it. A few days ago, the kid started throwing small tantrums about Stephan clinging to Jake like a koala.
"Concentrate on the game!" Gabriel still screamed at the boy before saying to Jake, "I swear this kid! He's been glued to you like your shadow since our trip to the aquarium. It's clear as day who is his favorite brother."
"You're exaggerating," Jake sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. "This clingy phase will pass him soon enough. He's only compensating for all the years I've ignored him and kept him at bay."
"You reap what you sow, I guess."
"Right, I can't complain here. Anyway, it seems you've conveniently forgotten a little something: hasn't Tristan been dragging you to my room lately so that we all sleep together? I'd say he adores you just as much and don't want to be separated from either of his brothers. So we're in the same boat."
"But isn't it a little freakish how possessive he is of you?" Stephan pointed out. "He pretty much kicked me out of your room last time because he wanted to sleep with his brothers! How about giving you some personal space?!"
"What are you saying? Tristan kicked you out because you were all over Jake, not because he didn't want you to sleep in the same room as us," Gabriel corrected his friend. "I think he's trying to protect his big brother from your dirty paws by bringing me to his bedroom. You've been coming over more often lately, and Tristan is smart enough to associate the bruises on his brother's neck to you."
"What's with the disgusted look? Jake is the one who asked me to leave hickeys whenever I sleep over!"
"I asked for one hickey each time, not a dozen. You went wild last week."
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to control yourself when your crush asks you to leave hickeys on their neck? Be happy I only kiss your throat and don't venture further down!" Stephan paused to smile, "The kiss marks have started to fade, by the way. Should I make another one?"
Not waiting for Jake's answer, Stephan threw himself at the man, who expertly raised his arm to block him. His forearm pressed against his throat, and Jake could feel Stephan's Adam's apple quivering. Their faces were not even an inch away, yet Jake didn't seem to mind it and instead deadpanned, "Keep that kind of act for the bedroom, will you? Otherwise, I may or may not punch that pretty mouth of yours."
"I'm sure busted lips would suit me," Stephan winked.
"You—" Jake was cut mid-sentence by a thud, followed by a loud "TRISTAN" and rushed footsteps. The kid was finally out of luck and hadn't managed to dodge the Frisbee in time.
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Edited by Clozed! ♥
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