Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 99. One Year Ago

After glancing at each other, Santa Claus and Gabriel tacitly decided to keep their mouths shut, letting Misha digest the news in silence. Whether or not Gabriel would go back in time relied upon what he would choose, and they wouldn't interfere with his choice. They would respect his wishes, no matter what they turned out to be.

Time ticked by, and after what seemed to be an eternity, Misha slumped into the sofa, throwing his head back to stare at the ceiling. He had made up his mind. The memories of these past years were precious, his feelings too, but his mother and his sister were more important. Their smiles were worth everything to him. Of course, he didn't want to forget anything; however, reality never cared about what he wanted. It had never been fair.

"Let's do that, then," he sighed in a tired voice, breaking the heavy silence that filled the room. "Whether it's Gabriel or me, as long as my mother and sister are safe, it doesn't matter who goes back in time. Sorry, Gaby. It looks like you will have it hard because of me."

"Why are you apologizing? I'm the one who suggested it," Gabriel smiled before focusing his attention on Santa Claus. "Also, isn't there a way to leave a message for his past self?"

He thought of asking because Santa Claus's tone of voice and behavior had changed drastically within a short time. After pressing his forehead against the watch, his demeanor went from ice-cold to warm—gentle, even. That being said, it was impossible to change so much for no reason. Gabriel thus concluded that something must have happened while his forehead was pressed against the watch, something like the transmission of a message or information he hadn't been aware of initially.

"Well, there is," Santa Claus said as expected.

"Really?! Why didn't you say so sooner?!" Misha cried out, shooting daggers at Santa Claus. It wouldn't have been so difficult to make up his mind had he known!

"Because I wanted to know your thoughts first." Santa Claus cocked an eyebrow. "If you weren't ready to sacrifice your current life to save your loved ones, I'd have kept quiet. But you are ready to, and that's enough for me."

"...?"

"You have bad tastes," Gabriel scoffed, "unlike what your appearance suggests."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Misha glanced back and forth between the two, and sparks crackled as unsaid words lingered between Gabriel and Santa. But Misha decided not to take it to heart, more interested in the message he could leave to himself. Ignoring the tense atmosphere, he asked in an excited voice, "So, how do I do that? How do I leave a message for myself?"

"It's not complicated," Santa Claus said, taking off the wristwatch from his wrist. "Press this button, and say what you have to say to leave a message for yourself. Then, when you're done, press it again. After Gabriel goes back in time, he will only need to click on it, and the message will appear. It's going to be like a holographic image."

After Santa Claus finished the first sentences, Misha turned a deaf ear to the following words, itching to snatch the watch and go upstairs to record the message; he already knew what he wanted to tell his past self. And so, he did just that and fled to his bedroom at lighting speed, leaving behind Santa Claus and Gabriel. His quick footsteps echoed inside the living room, same for the door he slammed, letting everyone know that he had entered his room.

"Why are you using your current wristwatch instead of the one your future self has given to Misha?" Gabriel asked after a while, his eyes still locked on the stairs where the "boy" had just disappeared.

"Because it can't be used again until it reaches the current time where it has disappeared. On this note, you will have to bring me back my watch once you reach this date in the next timeline. I need it to do my work."