Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 105. The Drunk Driver

Gabriel forced his legs to move forward. Usually, it was a 20-minute walk, but it took him half the time to reach Misha's house by running his heart out, though he almost slipped a few times. A thin layer of snow covered the sidewalk, making it slippery. Regardless, he didn't slow down his pace and soon arrived, still in one piece. He repeatedly rang the doorbell until Masha slammed open the door, appearing to be in a foul mood.

"What the hell?! Can't you wait two sec—" Masha's angry shout came to a sudden halt, her eyes growing wide as Gabriel entered her line of sight. "Gaby? What are you doing here...? Oh my god, your lips are purple! Why are you wearing so little? Do you want to freeze to death?!"

"Long story short, I snuck out. Where's Misha?"

"He's in his room...?" Masha answered after swallowing a curse, a touch of suspicion in her voice as she stepped aside, allowing Gabriel to enter the house. "He locked himself up after dinner, saying that he didn't want to see anyone. To be honest, he didn't look very well. Hell, he seemed to have come face to face with a ghost! Wait a minute. Do you know what's going on?"

"Well, yeah, I'll tell you later."

"...?"

After removing his shoes and socks, which had gotten wet because of the snow, Gabriel dashed upstairs bare feet, nodding at Mrs. Brown in passing. He stopped before Misha's bedroom and took a deep breath to calm down his heavy breathing. Then, he knocked on the door and spoke in a loud and clear voice, "Misha, it's me. Can I come in?"

"...Hm."

It was a monosyllable answer, but it sounded like a positive one, so Gabriel didn't hesitate any longer and turned the doorknob in a swift movement. Even if it had been a clear "no", he would have barged into the room anyway. Right now, Misha shouldn't be left alone. He had the bad habit of bottling up his feelings, just like his sister. Tomorrow morning, he would surely pretend that everything was fine when, in fact, nothing was.

Before entering the bedroom, Gabriel made an okay sign to Masha, who was downstairs, staring at him with a frown. Her mother stood beside her, glancing back and forth between the two with a worried look. Gabriel pretended he hadn't noticed the unsaid questions lingering on their lips and mouthed, 'Everything is fine. I'll take care of Misha, don't worry.'

That being said, he opened the door before gently closing it behind him. He walked up to the bed where Misha sat, his knees against his chest and his body wrapped up in a blanket. Only his little head was visible, the mushroom night lamp barely illuminating his pale face.

"You know," Misha started, his eyes locked in front of him, fixing nothing, "there was one thing that Santa Claus told me before my transmigration that I never understood the need to say until today."

Gabriel sat on the edge of the bed, patiently waiting for Misha to continue. The boy tilted his head to glance askance at the man, letting out a hollow laugh. The light in his bright blue eyes seemed to have dimmed, dulling his gaze.

"Do you know what he told me? He said that he added a special option to the watch. After one year following my transmigration, if I want to go back to my original timeline and erase the changes I've caused to the past, I can. Just by pressing a button, everything would go back to how it was before."

Misha paused to sniffle before resuming, his lips trembling and tears welling in his eyes, "He's making me choose between my mom and a bunch of teenagers. So many teens died because I saved her! Why?! Just why?! I only want to be with my mom and my sister, nothing more, so why is it that strangers are paying the price for it? Even Vanessa's life was turned upside down! This is... This is not fair."

Gabriel grabbed Misha's shoulder to pull him in his arms. Then, gently holding his head against his chest, he stroked his back and said in a soft voice, "You did nothing wrong, Misha. You don't have to feel guilty for saving a life, even if it caused others to lose theirs. Saving someone is not something bad, and it will never be."

Not having the strength to answer, Misha simply buried his face in Gabriel's chest, gripping his sweater with his tiny hands. He bit his lips until blood oozed and silently cried in the man's arms, feeling his heart shatter. No matter what Gabriel said, his conscience wouldn't allow him not to blame himself. He knew very well how painful it was to lose someone dear, and today, many suffered such excruciating pain because of his choice.

The evening news showed a few parents who had rushed to the school, and some were on their knees, bawling their eyes out. They were agonizing over the death of their children, and that image would forever be burned in his mind, tormenting his nights.

The cost for his mother's life, Misha would never forget it for as long as he lived, thinking of it whenever his eyes landed on Gulnas. Now he knew: whether it was done in good faith or not, changing one's fate would always bring about disasters to others, as if to even out the balance of life.

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Chapter revised on 2022-06-02

Edited by Clozed! ♥

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