Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 117. Love Matters

"So?" Misha asked with narrowed eyes, looking down at his sister who was obediently sitting on the bed, just like a child who knew they had done wrong and were about to be scolded. "What did you talk about with Gabriel and Yuki while I was away?"

A few minutes earlier, her brother had dragged her upstairs to his room, right after Gabriel and Tristan left for their home. It didn't take long before Masha understood what he wanted to do, that is to say, to interrogate her about today's dinner. Still, she hadn't expected him to be so straightforward, leaving her lost for words.

She should have known better; it was her brother, after all. But Masha would have preferred it if he had turned around the bush, giving her enough time to think about a proper answer. Unlike a certain someone, lying on the spur of the moment wasn't her forte.

"...Nothing much," Masha eventually answered, staring straight into her brother's eyes. "It's nothing important, really."

"Nothing important, my ass! Do you take me for a fool?!" Misha snorted, his mouth twitching. "Do you seriously believe I'm going to swallow that lie? Do you have any idea what kind of face you were making earlier?"

If even Tristan had noticed Masha's somber expression, of course Misha also did! They both glanced through the window wall, and they both saw the three persons sitting at the table, their facial expressions included.

His sister probably hadn't been aware of it at the time, but her face turned uglier with each passing minute. The fact that she hadn't been able to conceal her ire told a lot, considering how good she usually was at hiding her feelings and emotions.

"You know I'm not a goddamn kid, so don't treat me like one! And don't you think I've got the right to know?!"

"Of course you have." Masha pinched her lips. "It's just that I'm not the one who should tell you."

"Why? 'Cause it's something personal about Gabriel?"

"Yes, it is! It concerns his past, and I'm sure he would prefer to tell you everything about it himself! I don't know all the details yet, so even if you pressure me, I can't answer all of your questions, Mish'!"

"So you're telling me to wait for that guy, the most secretive person I know, to open up and talk about his past? Asking for the moon seems like a more realistic demand! How many more lifetimes will it take before I learn the freaking truth?!"

"Don't say that! I'm sure he wants to tell you everything but hasn't had the chance until now. And maybe he doesn't know how to bring up the subject. Believe me, it's not something easy to say."

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right! 'Cause coming clean about time-traveling with you was something easy, of course!" Misha snorted before venting his pent-up frustration on the night table, kicking it.

The lamp on the table then wobbled, menacing to fall off. With round eyes, Misha bent over in extremis to catch it. Once he put it back in its original place, he couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief, feeling like he had just escaped a disaster. That had the merit of calming him down, just as if cold water had been poured on his head.

Misha slowly straightened his back and pretended not to notice his sister's pinched lips. At least, she did her best to stifle her laughter. It was always better than not trying.

"Sorry," Misha grumbled before letting himself fall onto his bed, landing on his stomach. "It's just frustrating. I hate it when the both of you hide things from me. It brings up bad memories, and I tend to let my emotions get the better of me. I didn't mean to raise my voice at you."

Because they said nothing for fear of hurting him or being hurt in the first timeline, everything went down the drain, and Misha lost the people he treasured the most. He could never forget the pain of burying his sister, nor could he forget the seething anger that came with Gabriel's betrayal―or what he had thought to be.