Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 88. A Bunch of Birthday Gifts (Part 1)

Of course, her little knight in shining armor noticed all of this. In a sensible way, Misha never proposed to do anything that implied going to a public place, like a restaurant or the movie theater. They mostly stayed at home, except when she had to go to the hospital.

Honestly, her brother's consideration always touched Masha to no end, but it also made her feel guilty deep down. She was the oldest, yet she was being taken care of and spoiled rotten. Misha should be enjoying his life at his age, not nursing her!

***

After gorging themselves until their bellies became round, they moved back to the living room. As Misha bounced around like a small bunny, the boy excitedly told his sister to stay still while he brought her her birthday gifts. He stood in front of the little mountain with a pensive look on his face, as if he wondered what he should choose first. Ultimately, he decided to start the ball rolling with Dereck and Vanessa's gift.

"I want to give it, I want to give it!" the girl clapped, snatching the present from his hands before running to Masha. "It's from Dereck and me. We chose it together!"

"They also used up all of their pocket money to buy it," Misha snickered.

"Why did you say it?!" Vanessa cried out, stomping her foot.

Why? Because he wanted his sister to know that it wasn't the children's parents who paid for it. His friends saved their own money to buy his sister a birthday gift, and he thought it was worth mentioning it. They could have bought something for themselves, yet they decided to spend it on his sister's present instead.

As expected, Masha felt deeply touched by his words. Regardless of what the gift would be, the fact that the two children put so much effort into it made her happy from the bottom of her heart. With this in mind, she unwrapped the present, and when she saw what was inside, she felt her heart soften. It was a medium-sized plush dog, but not any dog; it looked very much like Dereck's pug, even having the same foolish look plastered on its face.

"With this, even if you can't pet Lady every day, you will be able to pet the plush instead!" Dereck said with a sweet smile, which made two dimples appear in his chubby cheeks.

He and Vanessa had noticed that Masha seemed to become happier whenever she hugged his dog. Of course, he couldn't give her Lady, so the two children discussed and decided to find a plush that looked very much like his pug. Because Masha had many kinds of plushies in her room, they concluded that she probably liked plushies a lot. Little did they know that most were from Misha, who had won them at the amusement park a year ago.

Nevertheless, Masha fell in love with it. She put it on her lap as she beckoned the children to come close so that she could hug them, "Thank you so much! I like it a lot!"

"Hehe, you're welcome," Vanessa giggled in her arms.

"I'm happy if you like it!" Dereck added with a nod.

After the group hug, the children sat back on the floor, Dereck picking up his dog to put it between his crossed legs. While they did so, Stephan declared, "It's my turn now!"

Hearing this, Masha eyed him with a bit of suspicion, afraid of the incoming gift. Knowing Stephan, it could be anything, and she secretly hoped it was something children could see.

Didn't that guy give Gabriel a collection of porn DVDs last time, right in front of his stepmother to boot...? Knowing this, how could she not be suspicious of his gift?! There was nothing he wouldn't dare give!

But unexpectedly, it wasn't anything outrageous. It was two wide hoodies that looked almost like blankets, long enough to reach her knees. They appeared cozy; they also had a cute design. At first glance, Masha could tell they were something her friend had made himself. Really, how many hours did he pass on designing and sewing those hoodies?

Surprised, Masha stared at them for a short while before coming back to her senses and putting one on. It was very comfortable, just as she had thought, almost making her feel drowsy.

"Thanks, Steph. The size is perfect, and your sewing skills are as amazing as ever! I love them."

"You're welcome. But where's my hug?" Stephan asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"...Come here," Masha chuckled before hugging him tightly.

Even if Masha didn't complain aloud, Stephan had realized that most of her clothes were now uncomfortable to wear or challenging to put on herself, especially tight pants and jeans. She thus wore the same dresses day after day. And so, he decided to sew her some comfortable clothes that were as cute as they were original, taking into account her tastes and what she liked. It was tailor-made for her, and no one else would ever have the same hoodies as hers.

While his sister hugged Stephan, Misha tilted his head, feeling like he had just discovered something shocking. All those weird costumes he had to wear in the past, it couldn't be that Stephan was the one who made them all, right? He did learn that Stephan loved to sew during one of their many conversations, but he had no idea his craftsmanship was this good, worthy of a designer. Misha had always wondered where Stephan found the custom-made clothes for his employees; well, maybe he had his answer.

Before Misha could dwell on the matter any further, Gabriel snapped him out of his thoughts, saying, "I think it's our turn now?"

"Right!" Misha excitedly nodded, urging his father to take their gift and bring it to the small table beside his sister's wheelchair. "It's from Gabriel, dad, and me!"

"From the three of you?"

"Yup!" the boy smiled, his eyes curving into crescent moons.

Instinctively, Masha smiled back before starting to unwrap the gift, carefully and slowly. Seeing her brother's excited face made her curious to know what their present was. Really, what could it be?

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Chapter revised on 2022-05-29

Edited by Clozed! ♥

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