章節 164: Hopefully, He'll Forget his Worries For Today

Gabriel usually slept like a log, but this morning, he woke up before Misha for some reason. He frowned and snuggled his head against his pillow. He didn't want to get up just yet.

'So tired,' he thought. 'Just five more minutes….'

He had been busy like never yesterday, thanks to some new interns making a mess of the supply list. Instead of asking what they should do, they tried to solve the problem by themselves, without even understanding what went wrong in the first place. Long story short, they ended up with an order of 1,000 boxes of 100 rolls of paper toilets and a lot of other unnecessary things. Gabriel had to call left and right to cancel and correct orders, apologizing along the way. Although the company had money to spare, they wouldn't spend it on useless things.

After that, he had to deal with an angry Angela. Calming her had been one hell of an ordeal, and the poor interns had been scolded until they bawled their eyes out. Some even quit on the spot. Now, Gabriel had to find new employees by the end of next week. As if he didn't have enough on his plate already.

When all was said and done, Gabriel returned home late. He took a quick shower, then entered his bedroom, only to fall upon Misha snoring on his bed. That kid had come over again—Jake probably let him in—and not-so-surprisingly sneaked into his room. Not like he'd complain, but Gabriel always felt torn at the sight. It reminded him that Misha had difficulty sleeping on his own because of the kidnapping incident and sought his warmth to soothe his mind. Otherwise, he'd keep waking up in a panic during the night.

If only Gabriel had found him earlier….

Dwelling on the past wouldn't change it, so Gabriel chased away the guilt and went underneath the blankets to hug Misha. He fell asleep as he stroked his back, trying to comfort him with gentle gestures so nightmares wouldn't plague his night.

However, they somewhat changed position at one point. Gabriel smiled when his muddled brain realized it, and he put his hands on the teenager's arms, which Misha had wrapped around his waist. The little octopus was cupping his body from behind, his chest pressed against his back. His legs were entangled with his, and Misha's breathing steadily blew against the nap of his neck. Warmth bubbled in Gabriel's chest, thinking that waking earlier once in a while wasn't that bad. Misha was usually up and fluttering around the house by the time he finally managed to leave Morpheus' embrace, and they rarely lazed in bed together. Yet, there was nothing more pleasant than waking up to a hug. It was the best way to start the day, he'd say.

….Wait, wasn't there something poking his ass?

Gabriel blinked his heavy eyelids, his eyes still veiled with sleepiness, and frowned. He shifted to distance himself a bit, but Misha wasn't having it. He snuggled closer, pushing his hips up a bit, and there was no mistaking the hard bulge pressing against his butt.

"…."

Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Gabriel stilled. And just as he made up his mind to slip away, he heard Misha grumble some unintelligible things. Oh, oh, he was waking up. This was going to be awkward—

"Fucking hell, not again!" Misha winced. "Shit, it's at times like these I'm glad Gaby sleeps like the dead."

The mattress dipped as Misha rolled to the side. A second later, rushed footsteps echoed as the teenager bolted to the bathroom and slammed the door shut, leaving a speechless Gabriel on the bed. Apparently, it wasn't the first time this happened…? Well, that explained why Misha sometimes wouldn't even spare him a glance during breakfast, averting his eyes and whatnot. The bright red cheeks made a lot more sense now too.

"Oh, Goodness, how much cuter can he get?" Gabriel chuckled faintly, a fist before his lips. "Makes it hard to believe he's a middle-aged man at heart."

***

"You look like shit."

The voice traveled down the stairs, and Gabriel's body seemed to tense up. He lifted his gaze, meeting eyes with a grinning Masha. This girl…. She was taking way too much pleasure in his misery. Lately, she'd twist the knife whenever Misha wasn't around, poking at where it hurt with a smile. It made him almost regret accompanying Misha to his house this morning. Maybe he should have waited in the car.

"Good morning to you too, Masha," Gabriel said. "And as for you, you look lovely today."

"So, not denying you look like shit?"

Gabriel clicked his tongue. He wouldn't escape it, would he? "Stop beating around the bush, and just ask me what happened."

"Well, what happened?"

"None of your business."

Swiftly turning on his heel, Gabriel walked to the living room and sat on the sofa. Misha was preparing the sandwiches for today's picnic, and he had been kicked out of the kitchen when he tried to help. Mistaking the lettuce for the salad wasn't that bad of a mistake, wasn't it? At the very least, it didn't warrant being scolded! And to make matters worse, he just had to come across Masha on his way to the living room. He had hoped she'd still be upstairs getting ready for the outing, but his luck was as rotten as it could get today.

"Oh, come on!" Masha giggled, sitting beside her friend. "You know I'm just worried. You've been out of it these past few days, looking dazed and all. What with the suspicious look? Jake told me."

"He told you? Since when are you two close enough to sit and chat?"

"Since we've been stuck spending nights together in hotels with nothing else to do but talk. And if there's one thing that guy is willing to talk about, it's his brothers. He's as much of a bro-con as I am, you know?"

"I don't think anyone can have a brother complex as severe as yours."

Masha stuck her tongue out. "With the brother I have, how can I not fan over him? He's just perfect! Good at cooking, good at doing the house chores, cute as hell, strong like a—"

"My bad, I shouldn't have started you."

A hearty laugh resounded, and Gabriel found himself smiling too. The Lesskov siblings' bond hadn't dwindled over the years. No, it only grew stronger. It was a bond Gabriel had been jealous of, considering how his family was. Yet now, his relationship with his brothers was getting better by the day. Heck, it was frightening how well he got along with Jake! They were like two peas in a pod, similar in ways he had never dreamed they'd be.

"Anyway, don't you think you've delayed enough?" Masha arched an eyebrow. "How about you tell me what's on your mind? You look on the verge of collapsing, and that's scaring me."

"It's nothing much, just wishing Misha would grow up faster."

"Oh—" The bell rang, cutting their conversation short. Masha stilled for a second before leaping to her feet and skipping to the door to open it. Behind it stood Yuki, who nodded at her.

"Aren't you early?"

"Well, I thought Misha may need help in the kitchen."

"Be careful," Gabriel said. "I tried to help, and I was mercilessly kicked out."

"Unlike you, Yuki isn't a public danger when holding a knife! If it's her, Mish' won't kick her out."

"As far as I know," Gabriel smiled at Masha, "you're also a klutz who's not allowed in the kitchen. So what's with the smug look?"

While the two bickered, Yuki took the opportunity to slip into the kitchen and started to help with cutting vegetables. Misha wanted a few crudités to accompany the sandwiches, and many carrots and celeries were left to cut. Thankfully, Dereck would be taking care of the dessert. Since Vanessa decided on her own that she, Isaac, and Dereck would be following along on their picnic after Misha talked about it, it was only natural that Dereck took it upon himself to bake the pastries. Or that was what he'd said.

"By the way," Masha smiled, sitting back on the sofa, "is Jake going to meet us here or directly at the park?"

"Directly at the park. He's at home with Tristan, and Stephan will pick them up once he's done with work. Dereck will join us, but Vanessa and Isaac will meet us directly at the park. We're a little bit too many to fit in my car."

"Buy a bigger car next time."

"Yes, yes."

There was a second of silence before Masha laughed wryly, "But you're sure it's a good idea to bring Isaac along? Misha hates his guts."

"Whether he likes it or not, he is Vanessa's boyfriend, and he'll have to get used to the idea one of these days. And his presence will serve your purpose, anyway."

"What purpose?"

Gabriel said nothing, yet the look on his face seemed to tell her that playing dumb wouldn't cut it. It had never once worked.

"I hate it when you read my thoughts like an open book. It's frustrating," Masha sighed as she slouched on the couch. "Although Misha laughs and looks overall fine, I know he isn't. We still have no clue about that masked man's identity, and it weighs on him. I just want my brother to take his mind off things for a moment."

"And I'm sure he will. We're a ruckus bunch, and he won't be able to worry today. It's going to be a nice day, and we're all going to have a good laugh and sleep well tonight."

"I hope you're right."

"Dear, I'm always right."

Masha grinned and closed her eyes. Yeah, it was going to be a fun picnic. Maybe Isaac wouldn't think so because Misha would most likely pick on him at every opportunity, but so what? She wanted her little brother to have a good time and couldn't care less about others. As long as Misha could forget his worries, even if only for today, she wouldn't ask for more.

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Edited by Clozed! ♥