Her head leaning against the car window, Masha watched the scenery pass by. Minutes slowly ticked by before her pursed lips parted to let out a deep, annoyed sigh. It resounded like thunder in the otherwise silent car, making Misha flinch. The last time he had seen his sister as angry as today was after the kidnapping incident. She was usually a bright, happy-go-lucky woman, but once she snapped, she had nothing left of the kind sister he knew.
His survival instinct kicked in whenever she was like this, and he shut up. The same could be said for Gabriel and Jake, who had no desire to bear the brunt of her ire. Only Stephan could care less and hummed whatever song he had in mind while driving. He was being his usual self, not bothered by the fact that Masha was sitting right behind him and could always kick the back of his seat or yank his long hair backward after one too many bad jokes… Misha could already sense the disaster in coming.
'How can this idiot always behave this recklessly?' Misha shook his head in disbelief. 'Does he not care for his life…? Or is he brainless?'
This question also haunted the Laflamme brothers' minds, and Jake, who sat in the passenger seat, couldn't help but glare at the man from time to time as if trying to tell him to tone down his humming. What if Masha lost patience and he became a casualty? The weekend ahead was already sure to be hellish on its own; no need to add fire to the oil. He wanted to rest during the ride, a thought that Gabriel and Misha also shared.
And so, when Masha finally opened her mouth, these three tensed slightly, afraid to lose their moment of peace. Misha, who sat between Gabriel and Masha in the backseat, carefully eyed his sister's face. His mouth felt dry at the stone-faced look she arbored. She was pissed, oh-so-darn pissed. Even when she agreed to spend nights with Jake to mislead Angela at the hotel, she hadn't appeared as outraged!
Scary, so scary!
"You know, I've been working my ass off lately, even agreeing to cover for my colleagues' shifts when I hate cleaning up after people's shit. And why did I do that again? Oh yeah, because I wanted to take this weekend off. I was supposed to spend the next few days with my not-yet-but-soon-to-be girlfriend for her birthday. I was still on cloud nine until your call a few hours ago."
Masha paused, letting the words sink in before turning her head and meeting eyes with her brother's and Gabriel's. She smiled, though her smile was stiff and unnerving.
"And now what? Instead of a honeymoon, I'm stuck in a car with four men on the way to the viper's den. I'm no genius, but I can still say that the next few days with Angela will most likely drive me to insanity. So, tell me, guys, what did I do to deserve this, and where did my relaxed weekend with my lovely Yuki go? Hm?"
Misha and the Laflamme brothers wisely decided not to utter anything for fear of having their ears chewed off. However, Stephan didn't shy away and chuckled, "You could have always said no when Gabriel asked you to come."
"And let my cute little brother jump alone into danger? No fucking way!"
A kick into the driver's seat followed her words, making Stephan laugh all the more.
"Your "cute little brother" is now taller than you, though. A bit more built, too."
"Shut up!"
"I know the truth is hurtful, but still. You gotta admit that the cute little kid is no more and is now somewhat capable of defending himself. No need to cover for him like a mother hen."
"What do you know! He's the kind of adult to follow strangers into their home for a cup of hot chocolate!"
"He was drunk…"
"Drunk or not, he'd have done it regardless! He's way too naïve. And you can talk. You're a crazy son of bitch yourself. Like hell I can leave my brother in your hands!"
"My hands are very capable, thank you!"
The bickering went back and forth between the two, but no one dared to interrupt them for fear of becoming Masha's next target. However, thanks to Stephan, the mood in the car improved. Masha couldn't keep up with his teasing, and she started to pout somewhere along the way. Of course, she knew that complaining wouldn't change the situation at hand, but after venting her frustration at Stephan, she felt better. A weight seemed to have been lifted off her shoulders. As always, Stephan had done it on purpose. Everyone in the car eventually figured it out, including Masha.
"You're so annoying," she sulked, finally ending her rambling. What was the point when she was hitting cotton, anyway?
"Oh my, thank you!"
"You do realize it wasn't a compliment, right?" Jake sighed, glancing sideways at the man.
"It wasn't?"
"…"
A collective sigh escaped the car passengers as they concluded it was better to ignore the cheerful idiot than exhaust themselves trying to reason with him. They needed to preserve their energy for the weekend ahead.
While Masha went back to observe the scenery outside, Misha lowered his head and stared at his hands. He was unusually quiet, which drew Gabriel's attention. Even when Masha dragged him into her bickering with Stephan, he said nothing. Now that Masha's lousy mood was somewhat relieved, Misha didn't need to be careful and keep his mouth shut. His sister shouldn't flip out just because he made small talk.
"Is something bothering you?" He asked after waiting several minutes for the teenager to open up to no avail. They might not have the chance to talk privately with Angela around once they arrived at the villa, so it was better to resolve any problems while she wasn't in the vicinity.
"Hm? No, it's nothing worrisome, but…"
"But?"
"I don't know how to explain myself," Misha scratched his head, thinking back at the café and the shift he spent with Tristan. "It's just that something felt off about Tristan. He was smiling and laughing, but I don't know…? I didn't feel like he was truly happy. Like, something seemed to be on his mind?"
"Isn't it because you're acting all awkward around him?" Stephan not-so-gently pointed out, drawing a whine out of Misha's mouth. "That boy is good at reading people. He probably noticed you're uneasy around him."
"I'm not uneasy!"
"Uh-huh."
Misha snorted. Although, if he was honest with himself, he knew Stephan was right. He tried not to show it, but he was and would always be an open book. Maybe Tristan, currently with his mother in another car, noticed his discomfort earlier and acted accordingly. This kid was considerate to a fault. Still, Misha felt like it wasn't all. Something else seemed to be lurking in the depths of the boy's eyes.
The first timeline had deeply hurt Misha, engraving a scar in his heart that would never completely heal, and he'd been cautious in this life. He always, intentionally or not, took note of his entourage's facial expression and body language, afraid they were hiding their emotions and pain behind a smile. He was always on the lookout for any signs of unease in his loved ones. Of course, he wasn't an expert, and people like Jake and Gabriel, whose poker faces neared perfection, were out of his reach.
However, Tristan was a child and hadn't yet developed the art of hiding his emotions like his brothers. Misha knew he was good at pretending, especially in front of Angela, but he wasn't good enough to fool him.
Closing his eyes, the image of Tristan's smile accompanied by sad eyes flashed through his mind. The boy was drying the dishes with a dishcloth, listening to Misha's awkward small talk without interrupting him. It tugged at his heart.
That image bothered him, but that wasn't enough to turn his doubts into convictions. What made him so confident that he was hiding something and suffering in silence wasn't something foolproof. No, it was just his instinct – and the fact that he shared Jake's and Gabriel's blood. Misha had a hunch. In his mind, Tristan wasn't any better than his brothers and would try to solve his problems on his own. He'd rather suffer alone than trouble his entourage. Even if someone were to ask Misha why he thought so, he wouldn't be able to answer. All he was sure of was that these three brothers were a lost cause.
Too busy complaining in his head about the three brothers, Misha didn't pay attention to the man beside him and didn't notice the suspicious glance Gabriel threw at Stephan. He squinted his eyes behind his glasses but said nothing. Whatever was bothering him, he kept it to himself.
The car ride to the villa was thus relatively calm, for each passenger was at their own thoughts. Misha was still brewing when they arrived at the villa an hour later. The luxurious house was perched high on a mountain, built on the shore of a lake. When Misha stepped out of the car, he took in the picturesque sight. It was beautiful, the kind of scenery he'd imagine on a postcard or even used in a romantic film. There were trees as far as the eyes could see, even beyond the lake, and no neighbor in sight. It was silent except for the usual noises that habited forests and mountains. Small rustles from squirrels running around and the croaking of frogs filled the place. It felt like they were alone in the world, miles away from any human civilization.
'So, this was Gaby's golden cage during his convalescence. Lovely,' Misha thought with a grimace. At the time, he was throwing tantrums about coming here to visit Gabriel, but now that he was finally stepping foot in the place, he felt like turning on his heel and running away.
"Are you going to daydream all day long, or will you come to help us?" Jake's annoyed voice resounded, and Misha snapped back to reality.
The teenager could not help but smirk. It had been a while since he last interacted with Jake while he was playing his persona. Angela was waiting for them on the porch within earshot; thus, the man returned to being this annoying, self-centered person that Angela wanted him to be. If it had been before, Misha would probably have barked back some unsavory things, but now…
Now, their relationship was different. So, Misha didn't jape at the man and instead smiled.
"Yes, yes sir. I'm coming!"
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Edited by Clozed! ♥
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