Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 18. Dereck Is a Genius

Hugging the pillow Misha had thrown at his face, Dereck stared at the small bulge on the bed, pondering what he had done to offend his friend. When he entered the bedroom, did he do something to annoy him? Even if he did, he probably wouldn't be able to figure out how and why it had offended his friend. Misha was as petty as could be, and his way of thinking wasn't something an ordinary boy like him could understand. Sometimes, even breathing was enough to annoy the hell out of him.

But what could he do? Misha was a princess, and he was but a mere peasant.

Deciding not to overthink, Dereck chose the most straightforward approach and asked in a soft voice, "Why are you in a bad mood? Did something happen?"

Misha didn't answer, but his disheveled head still popped out from under the blanket. He glanced at the chubby boy, narrowing his eyes, which made a faint smile appear on Dereck's lips. Thank goodness, his friend was willing to interact with him! It was a pretty good start, compared to other times...

Silence stretched as Dereck patiently waited for his friend to speak, knowing that rushing him wouldn't lead to anything good—Misha still had a few pillows left that he could throw, and his aim was frighteningly accurate. Better not court death.

"Masha brought back home her boyfriend," Misha eventually consented to say, spitting out the last word in disdain. "I don't like him. He doesn't deserve my sister!"

Dereck nodded to let him know that he was listening. Misha had always shown a strong possessiveness when it came down to his sister, and it wasn't surprising that the appearance of a boyfriend put him in a bad mood. The other way around would have been weird. Dereck couldn't imagine his friend smiling happily with the arrival of a man in his sister's life. Just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine; if he were to smile, it'd be because he was planning to backstab the man when no one was looking.

"I want to drive him out, but I don't know how! Even if I complain about him, Masha just brushes it off. He's not a good guy, but she doesn't listen to me. She doesn't believe me! In her eyes, he's the perfect man."

Technically, Misha wasn't lying. Although he hadn't tried to talk some sense into his sister this time around, he knew it'd be utterly useless even if he did. Like in his past life, she would dismiss his words, thinking they were nothing more than a child's tantrum. But how could Misha blame her? Even he fell for Gabriel's smile along the way and only discovered his true colors when it was too late.

Regardless, he still had to convince his sister and his mother that the teenager was evil down to the core. But how could he do it when Gabriel hadn't done anything to betray his image in front of them? Even if Misha told them about his crude swearing while riding the Carousel Tower, this reaction was somewhat understandable when his fear of heights was taken into account. Moreover, they would probably think that he was exaggerating a little. He wouldn't be taken seriously, again.

"I want to get rid of him immediately, but I can't figure out how! I mean, he seems like a good guy, and no one would think he's the devil! And I don't want Masha to hate me, so I can't do anything too extreme, like kicking his crotch a bunch of times!"

Without knowing it, Misha spilled everything that was eating him up. Of course, he didn't talk about the golden watch and how he traveled back in time, but he shared some of his worries and how Gabriel appeared in his eyes.

Dereck's presence was reassuring, and even if Misha was still a little upset from his betrayal in the bar, he couldn't help but feel at ease with him by his side and confide in the boy. The fever also didn't help, making him unable to reason correctly, and as time went on, he criticized Gabriel more and more.

When Misha could no longer find fault with the teenager, he stopped talking, out of breath. His throat and tongue felt dry as if he had run a marathon. '...Fuck, did I say too much?' he thought, having forgotten some of what he had said.