Misha soon realized that he wouldn't be able to drag Gabriel to another rollercoaster. Only a brainless and ins.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e person would dare to ask the teenager to ride a second one after watching him emptying his stomach. The child acted spoiled, but not heartless. Although Misha couldn't care less if the teenage boy was sick, he still had to show some concern for the young man's well-being. Otherwise, the cold reaction would clash with the gentle temperament he had decided to adopt in front of the teenager.

Moreover, the boy wasn't feeling too good, either. The sudden dizziness after jumping off the swing made him see double.

As long as his body was in the process of adapting itself to his older mind, he knew his body would be weak. In the past few days, Misha had noticed that moving around and thinking too much worn him out quickly. It will take some time before the drawbacks stop bothering him all day long, much to his dismay. In the corner of his mind, he only hoped that it wouldn't take years.

In the end, Misha proposed to sit somewhere and relax. They went back to the dining area and sat at a picnic table near the river. The white parasol protected them from the sun while the fresh air coming from the river swept along their skin, cooling down their body. It was a very comfortable feeling that slowly calmed down the child's lousy mood.

For a moment, they said nothing, staring at the colorful ripples on the water. The reflection was somewhat hypnotic, and the teenage boy and the child slowly lost track of time.

A few minutes passed in this way before Misha broke the silence, his gaze still locked on the river. With a neutral voice, he asked, "Do you like my sister?"

Slightly taken aback by the sudden question, Gabriel didn't answer immediately, but he also didn't take long before uttering, "Yes, of course."

Then, the child turned his head and looked into his eyes. There was no smile on his small, flawless face, which enhanced his doll-like features. The bright blue eyes held a deep feeling of sorrow, and seething anger seemed to storm silently in their depth, yet they also reflected a fearsome serenity.

When those eyes rested on him, a chill ran down Gabriel's spine, making him straightening his back.

With a serious tone, Misha asked, "Do you 'love' her?"

The teenager blinked before staring at the child with uncertainty. He felt like the change in his choice of words had a profound meaning, and for a second, Gabriel couldn't help but ponder over the reasons, trying to decipher what the little boy was trying to say.

The wind was blowing the child's hair in all directions, making the strands of blond hair dance in front of his face, yet it couldn't hide his icy eyes. His expression was now so cold and so distant. It had nothing to do with the smiling face Misha wore since the beginning of the day.

The teenager pondered over the sudden change, but to no avail. Ultimately, he put the thought aside and firmly said without averting his gaze, "Yes, I love her."

In response, Misha uttered a small 'hmm' before shifting his head, gazing out over the peaceful river. His thoughts drifted back to the day he erupted in Gabriel's office on January first – even though it was the first day of the year, the young a.d.u.l.t had shut himself inside his office at school, preparing the program of his class for the next semester. Since it was his first year as a teacher, Gabriel had a lot of things to do in order to keep his job after his contract expired in June. He had to leave a pretty good impression on the director, and thus the young teacher worked nonstop.

"I've never once seen your sister as my lover."

The harsh words had deeply engraved themselves upon Misha's heart. He could never forget them, even if he wanted to.

The boy clenched his fists and pinched his lips.

Just now, the teenager had lied to him with a straight face. The worse lie of all, the one that made his sister hope for sweet love, only to put her through hell.

The child closed his eyes, calming the raging storm inside his stomach. He silenced his anger and looked back at the teenager, a sweet smile on his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes. Without realizing that it made him look even scarier than before, Misha proposed, "Let's walk around."

"Ok," Gabriel answered, his eyes as gentle as ever. He didn't say anything about the child's strange behavior, simply following him around.

.†.

The group left the amus.e.m.e.nt park quite early since they had to take the train, and the ride took a few hours. The teenagers had school on Monday, after all, and they had to go back home as early as possible.

Usually, when they went out, they didn't go as far as Montreal, but Masha wished to visit the town and also ride the rollercoasters of La Ronde at the same time. Of course, there were amus.e.m.e.nt parks in Ontario and many activities to do. However, the teenage girl already visited the said amus.e.m.e.nt parks many times. They weren't as exciting as they once were in her eyes, and Montreal wasn't that far by train. She wanted to try new things.

The moment they boarded the train, Misha almost instantly fell asleep, his head resting on his mother's shoulder as he drooled, his mouth wide open, which made the teenagers laugh a little. Mrs. Brown smiled with indulgence, stroking her son's soft hair while listening to the teenage girls talk about their plans for the upcoming weekend. Again, Gabriel didn't say anything, merely smiling as he listened to their conversation.

When the train arrived at the station, Misha didn't wake up, and even when his mother shook his shoulder, the child still refused to open his eyes. Therefore, Gabriel ended up carrying the small kid in his arms until they reached the bus stop.

Inside the bus, which was almost empty, the teenager sat with Misha, the boy still asleep in his arms. Along the way, the child had put his arms around him, nestling his face in the crook of his shoulder. Gabriel could feel the steady, hot breathing against his skin, as well as the saliva that slowly started to wet the collar of his pull, which made his mouth twitch a little.

Afterward, when they arrived at the house, Gabriel still had to bring the child to his bed while Camille and Masha stayed outside, standing on the doorstep as they said their farewell.

Mrs. Brown awkwardly showed the way to the child's room, giving her apologies as they climbed the stairs. She wasn't strong enough to lift her little boy and could only rely on the teenager. In respond, Gabriel said that he didn't mind. After all, the boy wasn't particularly heavy, and his muscles weren't made of chocolate.

When Gabriel was about to put the child in his bed, the little boy clenched his fist around his pull, refusing to let go. Helpless, he had to battle with the small fingers for a moment. He didn't want to use too much strength and accidentally hurt the child, after all.

Once Misha finally loosened his grip, Gabriel quickly stepped back, said his goodbye to Mrs. Brown, and left the room.

The teenager went outside, meeting Masha in front of the door. Camille had already left, and thus, they were alone, standing on the doorstep. The two old porch lanterns fixed on each side of the door cast a pale light over them, gently brightening their face in the darkness. Tonight, the sky was unusually dark, the thick clouds hiding the moon.

Simultaneously, Masha and Gabriel looked into each other's eyes. A devious smile stretched the teenage girl's moistened lips, while the teenage boy had a blank expression on his face. There was no sign left of his previous warm smile or gentle eyes; only emptiness remained in his emerald eyes.

Gabriel rolled his eyes and didn't bother to answer. Instead, he looked around, and sneered, "so the pest is finally gone."

"Oh, come on! Camille is not a pest. She's adorable!"

"As adorable as a viper can be, yes."

Masha pouted a little, glaring at the teenage boy.

"Don't give me that look. You perfectly know that I don't like her. I'm telling you, you will regret associating with that girl one day," said Gabriel, raising an eyebrow. "But I guess you don't really care about my opinions, hm?"

"You know me well," laughed Masha while the teenager shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. Indeed, he knew her. In fact, he was probably the one who knew her the best. This stubborn little girl, she didn't listen to anyone, not even him, the person who was the closest to her.

"Anyway, as long as you're happy, I've got nothing to say, I guess," sighed Gabriel before rummaging in his pockets. He brought out a small, thin box and shook it under her nose. "Here. Happy birthday, Masha."

The teenage girl was stunned, but the surprise quickly disappeared, and instead, a smile rapidly grew on her face, curving her eyes into two crescent moon-like shapes. She carefully took the box and opened it. Inside laid a delicate necklace. The silver chain twinkled under the light of the lanterns, attracting the eyes. However, what drew her attention wasn't the chain, but the heart-shaped leaf pendant positioned in the middle of the box.

"Oh my god! It's so beautiful! Thank you, Gaby!" She jumped in his arms, loudly kissing his cheek while hugging him tightly.

"I need to go. It's getting cold, anyways," said the teenage boy, putting his hands inside the pockets of his jeans. "Tomorrow, can we eat together?" Before Masha could answer, he added, "I've got something to tell you. It concerns your brother."

The teenage girl's eyes slightly widened at those words before she nodded, frowning a little. It was already late, and her doorstep wasn't exactly an appropriate place for a serious discussion.

However, she still asked nervously, "He didn't do anything bad, right?"

"No, don't worry. Misha is indeed adorable. At least, he's a hundred times cuter than my brothers."

Hearing his answer, Masha couldn't help but chuckle. She knew that Gabriel's familial situation wasn't all sweetness and light and that those brothers of his were a real pain in the neck. They also had a hole in their brains. In contrast, her mischievous little Misha was indeed an angel, no matter what he did.

"See you tomorrow," said Gabriel as he jumped off the doorstep.

"See you tomorrow," repeated Masha, her hands tightening their grip around the little box as she watched the teenage boy's figure slowly disappear in the darkness.

________________

Author's note:

Masha: *Smiles, smiles* Hmm?

MC: *brain turns off*

ML: There's nothing wrong with my personality, though.

Masha: Well, that's open for discussion...

ML: I won't give you another gift any time soon.

Masha: You have the most beautiful personality I've never seen ♥

ML: Hmpf.