Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 102. Butterfly Effect

"So..."

Gabriel barely had the time to open his mouth that Misha had already told him to shut up, his eyes shooting daggers at the man. His beet-red face was still buried in his hands, but he had spread his fingers just enough to glare at Gabriel, a myriad of emotions swirling about in his eyes.

"Let me self-loath a little longer, ok?" Misha quickly added in a smaller voice as if afraid to be misunderstood.

"Sure..."

Thus, Gabriel did as asked and didn't speak, silently sitting on the bed like an obedient child. He knew Misha had a lot to digest in one go and rushing him wouldn't do any good. He himself had several things to ponder over, so he took the opportunity to replay the message in his head and review what he had learned. Misha's ranting revealed a few pieces of the puzzle that was the first timeline, and what Gabriel understood from it didn't make him want to smile one bit. He knew Mrs. Brown had died, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. So many things had gone wrong, starting with Masha's death.

And to top it all, there were those last few sentences, but Gabriel wisely decided to pretend that he hadn't heard them. It was already awkward enough between him and Misha, and he knew better than rubbing salt into the wound. Misha's temper was nothing to laugh at, and he didn't want to handle an angry Misha right now. They had too many things to discuss and not enough time. Also, he valued his life.

Minutes passed, then Misha peeked at Gabriel. "So? What did you want to ask?"

"Well, first of all, how old are you?"

"Around 25, I guess? It's hard to tell with that transmigration thing and all...."

"In other words, you're older than me?"

"You got a problem with that?"

"No, of course not. I just haven't expected you to be so old."

"You may as well say that I've got a bratty personality!"

"Can you deny it?"

There was a short silence before Misha conceded, "No...."

They bickered a little longer, which helped break the awkward atmosphere and put Misha at ease. Although the boy stayed curled up in the corner of the bed, he lifted his head and stared into Gabriel's eyes, his mouth distorted into half a grimace and half a pout. Sharing his secret with someone lifted an enormous weight off his shoulders, though he hadn't realized it yet. He was still too shocked by the sudden turn of events.

"I know you probably don't feel like it, but can you tell me what happened in the first timeline? There are many odd points I'd like to clarify with you." Gabriel paused to let out a sigh. "For starters, you didn't know that Stephan is my childhood friend, which is odd considering his personality. He should have popped up in your life when you were still young. Stephan is not the kind of guy who gives people space, so he should have come to your house to bother your sister—or me—at least a few times. The fact that he hasn't... It leaves me perplexed, to be honest."

"Well, I met him when I applied to work at his bar. I was around 24 at the time, and I don't really know what he was up to before that." Misha frowned, trying to remember something, anything, that could be of help. "He's not really the guy to talk about his past too."

"Don't worry, take your time."

Misha responded with a nod, thinking back on his days at the bar. He had worked for Stephan for almost a year, so he must have heard about something of value. Yet, nothing came to his mind. As Misha rummaged through his memories, a headache slowly started to throb, quickly turning into a migraine. He ignored it and persisted, and after a few minutes, something finally popped into his mind. Once he remembered that peculiar conversation, he couldn't help but glance at Gabriel with uncertainty.