Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 71. Gabriel's Best Friend

Misha looked around the house for the nth time, making sure everything was clean and sparkling. He held the feather duster as if it was a sword and moved about the living room like a soldier on the battlefield, his eyes fierce and penetrating.

Sitting in her wheelchair, Masha watched her little brother's antics and couldn't stifle her laughter. Gabriel, who stood by her side, also couldn't restrain his lips from curving up. This kid, honestly!

"Even if there is a little bit of dust left, my friend won't mind it. I don't think he'll even notice it."

Misha's body stiffened like a thief caught red-handed. Still, he grumped, "Who said I was cleaning up to please your friend? Don't you know that dust is bad for the lungs? I don't want my sister to develop lung problems, that's all!"

"Is that so," Gabriel played along, but his smile couldn't hide the flickers of amusement dancing in his eyes. "You're a very considerate brother."

"Oh, shut up! If you're so idle you don't know what to do, go study!" Misha roared, threatening to beat them up with the feather duster if they didn't scram now.

"Yes, sir!"

Gabriel quickly pushed Masha's wheelchair away, and they both disappeared into the kitchen. They had wanted to offer a helping hand, but one couldn't move around, while the other didn't even know the most basic things about housework. Besides, Misha wanted to clean the house, not trash it, so he outright refused their help.

As for Alexey, he had long understood that bothering his son while he was cleaning was akin to courting death. Therefore, he obediently stayed in his study, working on a few reports he had brought home.

Misha took a deep breath, telling himself that the house was clean enough. But a second later, he still couldn't help feeling nervous, and he started to flutter about again. Although he wouldn't say it aloud, he wanted to make a good impression on Gabriel's friend. It was the first time he had invited someone over—both in this life and the previous one. Gabriel had never invited anyone in their past life, even after years of cohabiting with him and his sister.

So, of course, he felt a little nervous!

Misha let out another sigh and told himself to stop thinking. Even if Gabriel's friend found their house dirty, why would it matter? He was a stranger, and his opinions were none of his concern.

But despite all the rants he did in his head, Misha's feet never rested, fluttering about like a butterfly. He cleaned up the place until the bell rang. Only then did he reluctantly hide all the cleaning tools in the closet and go to open the door. Wearing a bright smile, he lifted his head, and his eyes met those of a teenager.

The words about to leave his mouth were swallowed back almost instantly. The boy then stilled, a foolish expression on his face.

A few seconds later, Misha finally came back to his senses. He slammed the door shut and ran away upstairs, leaving a dumbstruck Stephan standing on the doorstep.

'My boss...? What is my freaking boss doing there, standing on my doorstep?!'

"Misha? What's wrong?" Masha asked when she saw her little brother flee as if he had met the devil in the flesh, climbing the stairs two steps at a time.

"I need to pee! Like, right now!" Misha shouted back before shutting himself in the bathroom and plastering his body against the door.

Meeting Stephan out of the blue had given him a huge fright, and his body reacted before his mind could. It was a conditioned reflex. Whenever Misha could, he'd avoid his boss like the plague, afraid to become a doll in his hands. That guy loved to dress up his employees a little too much, almost mistaking them for models. Sometimes, it made him wonder why he didn't simply become a designer instead of running a bar and torturing the common people.