This extra happened before Gabriel fell off the slope with Misha (and before the worm-flavored muffins).
It was a hot summer day, and the sun was beating down on the driveway. The asphalt was burning, almost sizzling, but Gabriel didn't mind and sat on it anyway.
Right now, he was craving a smoke. However, he knew better than to succumb to the temptation and instead sucked in a deep breath. Once, twice, thrice—he exhaled until he felt the irritation abate and his calm return.
Usually, Gabriel didn't need to get some fresh air and could keep on the gentle façade throughout the day. But Misha and his childhood friend were particularly vicious today, their pranks nastier than ever.
When the devil crawled out of hell only to wear the skin of a child, it was hard not to snap, even for him.
Running a hand through his hair, Gabriel sighed and told himself that he should have expected it. That kid was Masha's brother, after all. He had just never thought that a little boy could be as naughty as Misha was. It was almost mind-blowing how nasty his pranks could get, and it often left him speechless.
"You ok...?"
Masha's worried voice snapped Gabriel out of his thoughts, and he peered at his friend. Cocking an eyebrow, he gently tapped the reddish bulge on his forehead and replied, "What do you think?"
"...Sorry."
"Don't be. I was just too slow. I'll be on guard next time."
A nervous laugh escaped Masha's lips, reverberating in the empty driveway. Thinking back on what had happened this morning, Masha didn't know what to say. It was hard to excuse her brother's behavior.
Misha shot a pebble with his slingshot earlier, and it landed square on the teenager's forehead. At the time, Gabriel was talking with Masha and hadn't seen it coming. The two children were playing near the pool, and he and his "girlfriend" were sitting on the patio, a few meters away.
"I'm so sorry! I was aiming at the tree, not you," the boy said, his big round eyes innocently staring at Gabriel's bleeding forehead. "Does it hurt?"
"No, don't worry, it doesn't really hurt," Gabriel answered in a calm voice, though his mouth twitched slightly.
Who was that brat trying to fool? A few weeks ago, they played many game booths at the amusement park, and Misha's accuracy had been stupidly high, not a single shot missing the mark. It was astonishing how good his shooting skills were, honestly.
With this in mind, who would believe his lies? That kid was aiming at him, not the tree. However, Gabriel pretended to be dumb and didn't point it out. Instead, he said, "I'll just put some ice on my forehead, and the pain will soon be gone. But be careful next time, it's dangerous."
"I will," Misha obediently nodded, a wicked light glinting in the depths of his eyes. "You're not angry?"
"Why would I be? It was an accident, right?"
"...Right."
Once the word left his mouth, the child turned on his heel and fled with Dereck to another corner of the courtyard, certainly to prepare for their next prank. With their hunched backs, they looked like thieves who had been caught red-handed.
After staring at the boys a bit more, Gabriel went inside to get some ice while Masha stayed to watch over the kids—who knew what these two little monsters would do if they took their eyes off them. In any case, not something good.
Later, Mrs. Brown returned from the grocery store and took over babysitting duty, giving the teenagers some time for themselves.
"Anyway, do you believe me now?" Gabriel chuckled, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. "Your brother hates my guts."
"Well, you know, in my family, we also tend to show our love through pranks, so...."
"If that's the case, your brother's love is quite violent. And he likes me a lot."
"All right, you win. He hates your guts," Masha whined, burying her head in her hands. "I don't know why he wants to drive you away so much, but please, don't take it to heart."
"I'm pretty sure you know why, though. In your brother's eyes, I'm the bad guy who's stealing his sister away. So, of course, he doesn't like me. The contrary would have been surprising."
"..."
"Don't pull that face; I don't mind it. I find it even a little cute. When Misha is caught red-handed, he tends to panic, and his cheeks turn beet red. It's funny how he cannot hide his emotions."
"You've got weird tastes."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"But you're right, Mish' is the cutest!"
"Your bro-con tendencies are showing up."
"Shut up."
"No."
"..."
The two bickered a bit longer before Gabriel decided to go home, bidding his friend farewell. But when he opened the door of his car, a pungent smell assaulted his nose, making his stomach churn. Even his face distorted into a grimace.
It didn't take long before he recognized the stench of rotten fish.
Bending over, Gabriel looked under the driver seat. Then, he came face to face with two protuberant eyes, round and lifeless. The fish's mouth was open, and a slimy liquid seemed to have permeated the carpet, darkening the gray color.
The fat fish hadn't appeared out of thin air, and the culprit was obvious.
"Well, that prank is a little less cute," Gabriel mumbled to himself as he pinched his nose, wondering what to do now. The fish had probably been hidden under the driver seat early in the morning, and with the sun beating down...
To put it bluntly, it was as if the fish had been tossed in an oven and left to cook for hours in a sealed space. The smell was now impregnating the car and couldn't be washed away. Gabriel would need to buy another car unless he wanted to endure that unbearable smell for months, if not years.
"That brat sure is nasty."
Sighing, Gabriel resigned to his fate.
But one day, he would get his revenge. He didn't know yet when or how; however, he would pay the boy back for every prank he played on him, no matter how small. Misha was petty, but so was Gabriel. Only, a teenager picking on a little kid didn't seem like a very proper behavior, so he would wait for the right time to retaliate—even if he had to wait for years.
Gabriel was a patient man, after all.
__________________________
Chapter revised on 2022-06-08
Edited by Clozed! ♥
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