Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 7. The Jerk

The doorbell rang, and Misha's heart skipped a beat. 'Gabriel and his goddamn punctuality!' he thought as he gritted his teeth and glared at the door, hoping the guy behind it would drop dead on the spot. But honestly, why did he have to arrive early? Couldn't he be late for once?!

Oblivious to her little brother's foul mood, Masha dashed to the door and opened it, revealing two teenagers; a boy and a girl, the boyfriend and the best friend.

"Hello there!" she giggled.

"Hello, hello!"

After greeting each other, Masha invited them inside and introduced Gabriel to her family. Although his sister's mouth was moving, Misha didn't hear a word of what she said. He was too busy keeping himself in check and not pouncing on the teenage boy to bite him to death. Better yet, strangle him.

Misha took a deep breath, trying to calm down. And for the nth time, he told himself that he shouldn't put Gabriel on guard at their 'first meeting', which meant trying to kill him right off the bat was a no-go.

Of course, Misha had planned to do everything he could to make him drop the gentleman's mask, but that wasn't for today. He knew it'd take time. In their past life, Gabriel deserved an Oscar for his acting skills and another for his infinite patience, so there was no way he would give himself away because of a few jabs.

Moreover, Misha had to shatter his pretense to dust in one go, or else it would be useless. He couldn't simply chip it bit by bit. But he needed to do so quickly since Christmas Eve was only a few months away. It was easier said than done, however. His brain wasn't working well, and he needed time to think about his next course of action.

In the end, Misha decided to play it low-key for the time being. It seemed like a good idea to gain the teenager's trust first, and he thus tried to behave like a charming and innocent kid. He silenced his hostility, albeit with great difficulty, and swiftly hid behind his mother, his tiny hands gripping her dress. After a short while, he peered at the teenager with his big, round eyes.

Gabriel responded with a smile and crouched slightly so that their eyes could meet. "Hi, Misha. I'm Gabriel, your sister's boyfriend." His voice was soothing, calm, and gentle, just like Misha remembered it. "I'll let you in on something; your sister can't pass a day without talking about you."

These words earned the teenager a weak kick on his calf, courtesy of Masha, who was glaring at him with a 'don't say strange things' look on her face.

"Here, I brought you some sweets as a first-meeting gift," Gabriel continued, ignoring Masha's little kicks in a well-practiced manner. "I hope they'll be to your liking."

The teenager lifted a little white box. Soon, the pleasant smell of donuts filled the air, making the child's eyes grow wide. Without a word, he snatched the box from his hands before hiding behind his mother once more, burying his small face in her fluffy dress. Chewing his lips, he let out an almost inaudible noise in acknowledgment. They all tacitly decided that the unintelligible sound was a "thank you".

"When your brother doesn't play the little devil, he's way too cute," Camille, Masha's best friend, sighed. "I'm a little jealous here. My elder brother just has to bully me whenever we meet! Why couldn't I have a cute little brother like yours instead?"

"Because he's my brother," Masha bragged, proudly puffing out her chest. "There's no cutest boy on earth!"

Misha's mouth twitched. He couldn't help but wonder how they would react if they knew he was hiding because his eyes were filled with hatred, not because he was timid.

Honestly, he'd have liked to beat Gabriel to a pulp right here and right there. Not only because of past grievances but also because he wasn't fond of being treated like a baby! Misha was almost ten years old, not four! What Misha hadn't realized, though, was that he was acting like a four-year-old kid, shyly hiding behind his mother and expressing himself with monosyllables.