Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 39. Chatting

The warm light of the fire danced on Misha's face, enhancing its doll-like features, while golden and reddish hues moved along with the fluttering of the flames on his fluffy, blonde hair. Because of the dim light, his long eyelashes cast delicate shadows on his cheeks, making him appear somewhat frailer than usual.

Amid the sound of the crackling fire, his shallow breathing could be faintly heard, and lingering on his face was a serene expression. It gave off the feeling that his dreams were peaceful ones, the kinds that soothed the soul.

'When he's asleep, he does look like a little angel,' Gabriel lamented in his heart. 'If only his personality were like his appearance, it would save me a lot of trouble.'

Staring at the boy, who had once again fallen asleep against his arm, Gabriel couldn't help but let out a small sigh. Did Misha truly hate him or not? Sometimes, it was hard to say.

Like always, that child had insisted on sitting between him and Masha. The night was cold and it'd be warmer to sit between them than on the edge of the bench, or so he had said. Of course, everyone could tell that he was making excuses, but no one exposed his lies, and the two teenagers tacitly made a place for him.

Soon afterward, Misha was lulled by his mother's voice as she told them stories. Although he slept in the car, with the day he had, he was already quite tired when the sun went down. It didn't take long before he started to doze off.

The boy could have taken his sister as a pillow, yet he still chose to rest his head against Gabriel when he couldn't hang on anymore, snuggling against his arm.

No matter how one looked at it, the kid's comportment was contradictory on all points. He seemed to want to get rid of Gabriel as fast as possible while also wanting to cling to him and never let go. It was as if he didn't know what he truly wanted, conflicted by unknown feelings.

'What am I supposed to do with you?' Gabriel inwardly sighed, his gaze softening at the thought. That child was a terrible pest, but he also had a cute side—it just didn't show up often.

"Do any of you want to go to the bathroom?" Gulnas asked as she stood up, snapping Gabriel out of his thoughts.

"No, I'm fine."

"I'm also fine!"

"All right." Mrs. Brown turned her attention to her husband. "What about you, Alexey? Are you coming with me?"

Alexey responded with a slight nod, and they then both left for the bathroom that was a few hundred meters away.

The two teenagers observed the couple's backs disappear into the darkness, and once they couldn't see them anymore, they refocused their attention on the crackling fire and the marshmallows.

The adults weren't there, and Misha was asleep, so Gabriel didn't bother to keep up the facade. The smile lingering on his face slowly vanished, and his eyes lost their gentleness. His mouth was now tightly shut, his lips forming a thin line. The teenager didn't force himself to chitchat, welcoming the sudden silence with open arms.

But the quiet atmosphere didn't last long as Masha soon opened her mouth, saying with a pout, "It seems like my little brother is switching the target of his affection lately. I never thought he'd be so clingy with someone other than me. It was quite a sight to see him on your back earlier, you know?"

"Don't say strange things" Gabriel choked up at the sudden words, almost swallowing whole the marshmallow he was chewing.

What was this girl getting at again?

"What? My brother is not good enough for you?"

"Your brother is not even ten years old."

"He won't always be a kid, you know?"