Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 79. Meant to Be Happy

Misha gazed out the window, gnashing his teeth until his jaws made a faint cracking sound. His body had reacted without his consent, and he hated himself for being afraid of someone he shouldn't be. He knew in his head that nothing would happen, yet his mind seemed to have frozen the moment Stephan opened the door and the pungent smell of alcohol wafted to his nose.

It was a conditioned reflex; his body instinctively prepared itself for the incoming pain, his muscle tensing up and his stomach twisting into a knot. As an adult, he rarely had to deal with such feelings, but after transmigrating into his younger self, his trauma tended to flare up whenever the stimulus was a little too strong, just like now.

Because Stephan's father was a tall, potbellied man, his figure was very similar to Alexey's in his past life. After a few months of drinking day and night, Misha's father had gained an impressive beer belly, his handsome features long thrown in the trash. Now that someone, who reeked of alcohol and had the same build as Alexey's, was looming near Misha in a cramped space, the boy felt overwhelmed and oppressed.

So, of course, he reacted by lashing out at Stephan. And that was infuriating.

Misha didn't want to react this way, but he couldn't help it. Each passing minute he spent sitting near the man would only worsen the feeling of nausea clamping his throat, and the ride to Stephan's house wasn't a short one either. As if it wasn't enough, his breathing seemed impeded as well, something he didn't want to endure unnecessarily.

Anyway, his younger self was bratty and unreasonable, a real piece of work. So, Misha told himself that it didn't matter if he acted capriciously, even more so when it was what he had been doing these past few months whenever he wanted Gabriel to do something for him. It was now second nature to him, to the point where Misha didn't even realize how fickle and childish his behavior could be. One could even say that he had started to forget how to act like an adult.

Licking his dry lips, Misha tried to distract himself by scrutinizing the house in the distance. If he had to describe it in a few words, he'd say it was overly lavish. It was one of those giant houses rich people usually affectionate, the kind that was big enough to accommodate a dozen families or so. It was uselessly big, just like the rest of the property.

Still, Misha squinted his eyes, observing every detail as if to carve its image in his mind.

One of the reasons Misha had insisted on accompanying Gabriel was because he wanted to see where he was raised. Despite sharing a room for over a month, he still didn't know much about the young man, so he gladly jumped on the opportunity to learn more about him.

With everything that had happened and how busy Misha was with cooking, doing the housework, and attending school, they didn't have the time to sit and chat about Gabriel's family situation. Besides, it was hard to find the right time to ask or the right words to say.

"What are you looking at?" Stephan probed by his side, snapping Misha out of his thoughts.

"The house, what else?"

"Hm, do you want a house like this in the future?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"It's too big. I'm gonna die of exhaustion if I have to keep it clean."

"If you ever own such a big house, I'm pretty sure you will be able to pay someone to do the housework for you."

"Don't care. I still don't want that kind of big house."

Misha wouldn't say it aloud, but he much preferred a relatively small house that felt cozy and warm to a big house full of empty rooms.