Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 90. Feelings

Soon after Masha finished opening her presents, it was time for Dereck and Vanessa to return home. Their parents came to fetch them one after another, and afterward, Alexey also excused himself, saying that he had a few reports left to read and approve before going to bed.

He stood up and seemed to hesitate for an instant, then he bent over and kissed his daughter on her forehead.

"Happy birthday," he said in a soft voice before turning around and fleeing upstairs like a thief.

A grin curled up Misha's lips as he observed his father's antics, thinking Alexey was very different from their past life. Although he was still awkward and clumsy, anyone with a brain could tell he loved his children dearly. Grief did haunt him, but he didn't lose his mind in alcohol and didn't blame his daughter for his loss. He didn't become a stranger.

No one had been there for Alexey in his past life, but in this one, his son was always by his side. He was only human, and he couldn't face his wife's death unless someone supported him. Now that it was the case, he could face it without drowning his sorrows in alcohol to dull the pain.

After understanding this, Misha slowly but surely let go of his past fears, learning to see his father for who he currently was. Honestly, he did feel that it was unfair; why did his past self have to go through so much pain...? Some nights, he could not help but remember the agony he went through, leaving him drenched in sweat. Still, he was genuinely happy to have the father he had always wanted in this timeline. It felt somewhat strange yet wonderful to be loved by him.

Not long after Alexey left, Misha grabbed Stephan's and Gabriel's wrists, dragging them to the stairs as he giggled, "I almost forgot! There's something I wanted to show you guys! Let's go to my room. Sis', I'll be back in a few minutes."

"What? They can see that little something, but I can't?" Masha asked in a playful, teasing manner, to which Misha responded by sticking out his tongue.

"It's boy stuff!"

"Oh, oh. And what kind of boy stuff?"

"Boy stuff is boy stuff!" Misha stuttered, hurrying up upstairs to escape his sister's questioning eyes.

He wanted to give Masha and Yuki some space, so it would be counterproductive to invite his sister to come up with them. Anyway, there was no boy stuff. It was just a lame excuse that allowed him to bring Stephan and Gabriel elsewhere without arousing Masha's suspicion. In short, he just wanted to leave the girls alone because how could Yuki possibly confess with three guys staring at them?

However, Misha didn't go to his room; instead, he hid in a corner near the staircase, most of his body concealed by the corridor wall, and only half of his face was visible as he peeked into the living room. Stephan wasn't polite and did the same, his head appearing above the child's. Beside them, Gabriel leaned against the wall, rubbing the bridge of his nose. What the heck were they doing...?

With a tilt of his chin, Gabriel silently advised them to leave and give the girls a bit of privacy. But in response, they both threw him a cold gaze before tacitly deciding to ignore him. It made Gabriel feel a little exasperated.

'I swear, these two!' he thought. 'They're worse than naggy aunts. Leave the girls be, for goodness' sake!'

In the living room, Masha and Yuki were silent. One nervously rubbed her neck and played with her hair; meanwhile, the other sat still on the sofa, seemingly thinking about something. Time ticked by, but neither of them said anything.

"Those three sure are taking their time," Masha eventually chuckled. "I wonder what they're doing."

"Probably nothing much," Yuki replied with a faint smile.