The moment the girls disappeared from Misha's sight, swallowed by the human see, the child sprinted off to who knew where without any warning, leaving a dumbstruck Gabriel behind him.

The teenager's mouth was wide open as if waiting for the flies to fly in. Were kids all like this nowadays? Shaking his head, he put the thought aside and ran after the little boy, shouting his name.

When Misha heard Gabriel calling him amidst the noises of the amus.e.m.e.nt park, he didn't even look back, and while laughing, he said in a loud voice to cover up the sounds, "You're the cat!"

The child's laugh was both malicious and childish. The roaring of the rollercoasters and the screams muffled the sound of his voice, though, making it hard for the teenager to hear it.

Misha zigzagged his way through the crowd, running as fast as his small legs allowed him to. Once in a while, he veered to the left, then to the right, trying to make it harder for Gabriel to follow him. It was already quite an ordeal since his present body was small and thin, and thus it was difficult to find his little, blond head among the crowd of a.d.u.l.ts and teenagers.

Nevertheless, he knew that it wasn't enough to shake off the teenager. That guy had always been a book lover, but also a sports freak. He didn't lack endurance.

Misha could hear him repeatedly say, "Wait, wait, wait! Misha, wait!" However, he ignored him, playing deaf.

The reason for his sudden decision to run away from the teenage boy was simple. If Gabriel were to lose him in the middle of an amus.e.m.e.nt park, how would his mother and sister react? Even if they didn't cut the teenage boy out of their life, he would undoubtedly lose a few points. They wouldn't hold him in high esteem anymore.

After all, Misha was their precious little treasure, and in their eyes, letting him wander alone in such a crowded place was like asking for someone to kidnap him. Who could resist such a tender, naïve boy?

Thus, leaving the child out of his sight was unacceptable, even if it was only for one second. Many things could happen in that second!

Of course, the idea of frightening his loved ones and wrecking his sister's birthday didn't rejoice Misha, but if it could put Gabriel in a bad position, it would be perfect. If he waited too long, Masha would grow attached to the man, and this trick probably wouldn't have the same impact as it would have today.

The boy told himself that the following year, he would make it up to his sister and organize the best birthday party ever. As long as the slag man wasn't in their life anymore, everything would be alright, and the days, full of sunshine.

Misha took a deep breath. Yes, he didn't have any choice. He couldn't let the opportunity slip away; he didn't know when another one would present itself at his doorstep.

While thinking of his next moves, he recklessly moved around, almost bumping into many passersby, always avoiding them by an inch.

Misha thought, after reuniting with his mother and sister, he would only need to put on a good show and discredit everything Gabriel could say. It wasn't him that started to run around without any warning; it was Gabriel who was talking on the phone with another girl, too wrapped up in his conversation to notice his disappearance. If he added teary eyes to his words, it would set his mother and sister on fire, and the scolding would only become fiercer.

A devious grin stretched his lips. It was perfect.

There was only one thing he forgot, one single, important thing; he presently had the body of a nine-year-old kid, which didn't have the same endurance as his a.d.u.l.t body.

Well, the child also felt sick to his stomach, and after a short while, his legs seemed to be made of cotton. Once again, the aftereffects of his transmigration into his younger self started to show themselves, making him curse under his breath. Those symptoms were too bothersome!

Soon, Misha couldn't run anymore and almost fell to his knees, gasping.

Gabriel wasn't far behind. Therefore, he caught him in no time. The teenager put a hand on his shoulder, holding the child in place. There was no way he would run all around the site after the damn brat a second time.

Misha had small legs, but he sure knew how to use them. Even if it wasn't as hot as yesterday, the sun was still bright in the sky, burning his skin, and their game of 'Cat and Mouse' was quite tiring. Every time the teenager was about to grab his tiny arm, the kid veered and dodged his hand at the last minute.

"... You were supposed to let me win!" pouted the child, puffing out his cheeks while straightening his back, crossing his arms in front of his c.h.e.s.t before glaring at the teenage boy. "You're a bad a.d.u.l.t!"

Gabriel, "..." What was he supposed to answer to that!? He wasn't even an a.d.u.l.t, for starters!

The child didn't let him enough time to ponder over his words, demanding with the ton of a king, "Buy me an ice cream cone! And I will forgive you."

Since Gabriel had money, Misha thought of lightening his wallet a little. The ice cream cone was only the beginning of a long list. As a kid, he, of course, wanted many useless things that cost an arm and a leg at the amus.e.m.e.nt park. Gabriel never loved to rack his brain over small problems, and Misha was sure that if money could put an end to his tantrum, the teenager would gladly throw his money away.

"Sure," coaxed the teenager as he suppressed a sigh and ruffled the kid's hair. Squinting his eyes, he looked around. Amidst the numerous stalls, he noticed the pink and blue sign of a small ice cream shop and a bench not too far away.

Before going over to buy the ice cream cone, he took a bottle of water out of his backpack and gave it to the child. "It's better to drink a few mouthfuls of water. You ran a lot."

A hint of worry glinted in his emerald eyes. Just yesterday, the kid fell on the bed, knocked out in a second. This morning, he said he was fine, but that was clearly a lie, and Mrs. Brown told him, again and again, to take care of her stubborn son. If he seemed too tired or if the fever seemed to have returned, he had to call her immediately.

The teenager observed the small flushed face for a second before putting his hand on the child's forehead, verifying the temperature. Although his face was red, he didn't seem to be feverish. Good.

"Hey…? Are you alright?" asked Gabriel, removing his hand before crouching in front of the boy. Suddenly, the kid seemed smaller and thinner when he was already too small and too thin.

Misha refused to meet his eyes, turning his head to the side. Gulping, he grumped, "Yeah, I'm fine. Perfectly fine."

"You are sure?"

"Yes! Of course! Why wouldn't I be fine? But I'll feel even better after eating an ice cream cone!"

"Ok, ok, I got it. I'll go buy it," chuckled the teenager, pretending he didn't notice the fear hidden deep into the boy's beautiful eyes. However, even if he didn't say anything at the moment, he still thought of asking Masha about this. That reaction wasn't a normal one, after all.

"Come and sit on the bench beside the shop. And please, don't run again without saying anything. This poor old man is too tired and cannot play 'Cat and Mouse' anymore. "

"Ok," nodded Misha, obediently following the teenager before sitting on the bench.

The child had planned to ditch the man the moment he turned his back, but he had to admit that he didn't have the strength to do so. The boy hanged his head low, closing his eyes. He didn't think he would react this way when all Gabriel did was checking his temperature.

For a mere second, he had seen his father's shadow instead of the teenage boy and his whole body froze. It was something that hadn't happened for a long time. This small body of his sure brought back many unwanted memories.

As an a.d.u.l.t, Misha was a tall man, and no one could tower him. He was the one who towered everyone, looking down on them. As a child, he once again felt powerless and weak when faced with a taller man, his body reacting before he could even think. Although his reason knew nothing would happen, his body still didn't listen to him, which was frustrating and depressing.

A self-mocking and helpless smile slipped onto his lips. He thought that he had overcome his past, but Misha now realized that he only put on blinders and never dealt with the roots of his issues.

The boy sighed. It was so hard to confront bad memories; it was easier to forget them.

______

Author's note:

ML: Author, give me a leash.

Author: Ok?

ML: And a collar.

Author: ?????

MC: F.u.c.k, no! Do I look like a damn dog!? (ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻

ML: If that's the only problem, I can buy fake dog ears. It seems like I've too much money, anyways. (◍•ᴗ•◍)

MC:… I won't run away next time, I promise! QAQ

ML: I don't believe you.

MC:...