Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 101. A Message to One's Past Self

"You know, I've got so much to tell you, but I don't have much time, so I'll try to keep it short. You've probably guessed it by now; I didn't manage to save mom in this timeline either. And to make matters worse, the one who crossed the road was Masha, not me. Mom had the same reflex as last time, and she ran in front of the pick-up to push Masha out of the way. It's just that sis' is heavier than me, and mom wasn't able to push her far away enough. Masha fell, and the driver ran over her legs, crushing them. I...."

The boy bit his lower lip to stifle a sob before taking a deep breath, tears glittering at the corner of his eyes. Although it had been a year, it was still something difficult to talk about. The image of his mother's corpse was seared into his mind, same for his sister laying in a hospital bed, her legs deformed into something barely recognizable.

"I don't really want to talk about it, to be frank. I'm sure you understand why. For more details, just ask Gabriel. In all honesty, I'd have preferred to go back in time myself, but apparently, I can't do that because our body is too damn weak, so Gabriel proposed to do it in my stead." Misha half-smiled, half-scoffed. "That guy snuck on me while I was chatting with Santa Claus! Can you believe it?! Anyway, I hope he succeeded in saving mom this time around. If that's not the case, kick his ass for me, please. But that's not really what I want to talk about—there are several things you have to know before my time is up."

Holographic Misha paused and rubbed his neck, seemingly wondering where to start. So many things happened during this past year, bad things and good things. He'd love to tell himself everything, no matter how insignificant it was. But he knew it wasn't possible. So, he had to sort out what to say, regardless of how he felt.

"I guess I'm gonna start with this: dad didn't become an asshole. I kept him away from alcohol, and he stayed sober. He didn't blame Masha for our mom's death; instead, he worked days and nights to pay her medical expenses. These past few months..." Misha smiled, yet a bit of sadness remained in his eyes, "he was a very good father, the one we have always dreamt of. I hope you can open up to him in your timeline too. I won't ask you to forgive him for what he did to us in the first timeline, but try to give him a chance, ok?"

Misha couldn't believe his ears. He heard himself praising the father he had hated so much, giving rise to an odd feeling in his heart. Even if he had become less hostile toward his father over the past few months, he was still wary of Alexey, always afraid he'd fly into a rage for no reason whatsoever. It wasn't a feeling he could shake off overnight, yet his other self told him to give him a chance. It was a hard pill to swallow.

Then, he saw himself smirk, making him frown. Weirdly enough, that particular expression on his doll-like face made him appear like a little devil. No wonder his sister always called him by that silly surname....

"And before I forget to tell you that, you'll never guess who's Gabriel's best friend!" Misha's voice trailed, as if to create suspense. "It's Stephan, our freaking boss! Even though he's just an adolescent right now, that prick is already as unbearable as he was as an adult. If he ever pays us a visit, show him no mercy. He deserves to go through hell! I mean, I'm pretty sure he's the one who designed and made those costumes. He didn't buy them...! Do you realize how much effort that sadistic bastard put in just to torture us?!"

Holographic Misha then took great pleasure in dissing Stephan in any way he could. Once he felt like he had vented enough, he sighed before adopting a more serious expression. It was time to talk about the thorn in his heart, the one thing that made him hesitate to go back in time and erase this timeline.

"There's one thing you need to know: Gabriel and Masha have never been a real couple. They're both gay and have been hiding it for ages. I didn't remember, but it seems like our grandparents are homophobic as fuck, and because of them, Masha thought that if we were to ever find out about her sexual orientation, we would abandon her. The one who broke her heart and drove her to death wasn't Gabriel but Camille. This bitch even hooked up with Jake in this timeline! I don't care how you do it, but make sure to drive her away. If you could beat her up in passing, that would be even better."