Misha suddenly felt nervous, staring at the door in front of him as it wasn't a simple door but the gate of hell. The boy bit his lips, then shook his head, laughing at himself. Why should he be anxious? He wasn't a kid anymore. Yes, he was an a.d.u.l.t, albeit in the body of a child. There was nothing to be afraid of.

Ignoring the knot in his stomach, Misha took a deep breath and knocked three times. After the man inside gave him permission to enter, the boy slowly walked into his father's study.

Alexey was sitting on his chair, looking through a pile of paperwork. He had requested a leave from work, but he still brought back the urgent doc.u.ments that needed to be analyzed and approved by him. This way, his absence at the company didn't hinder the progress of his team's project. It was also because of this that his boss reluctantly agreed to let him go home. He was also a father, and he knew how anxious one could be when their children were hospitalized.

The hinges of the door squeaked, but afterward, there was no more sound. Frowning slightly, Alexey lifted his eyes from the doc.u.ment he was reading and looked at the doorway. He saw his son, who was standing there like a stone. "Misha? Are you ok?" asked the man with a hint of worry.

His father's voice pulled him out of his thought, and Misha immediately nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Perfectly fine." He said so, but he still didn't dare to move away from the door. He had only stepped into the room, unable to go further in. There were too many unpleasant memories in this study, and the sight of it made him sick in his stomach. Misha couldn't muster the courage to stand closer to his father, not in this room.

"Actually, I want to go to Dereck's house, but mom said to ask you to come with me." The boy began to fidget. "Is it ok?"

The corner of Alexey's mouth turned up in a small smile, which softened his sharp facial features. The man put his paperwork aside and stood up, saying, "Sure."

Without further delay, they left the house – before leaving, Mrs. Brown made sure to tell them to be careful and rushed over to kiss her son on both cheeks, making the child giggled a little.

*****

When they arrived at Dereck's house, Misha couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. Walking alone with his father was terribly awkward.

Before transmigrating into his younger self, Misha had cut ties with that man many years ago, and the last time they spoke to each other, he only had curses to say. The boy he now was didn't know how to interact with Alexey. Moreover, his father was a man of few words, so it wasn't easy to have a proper discussion with him.

The only idea he had in mind was talking about the weather, but Misha wasn't sure that was something a child would talk about, so the boy decided to shut his mouth all the way to his friend's house.

In the corner of his mind, Misha decided to ask Dereck how he interacted with his father. Perhaps, mimicking his friend's actions would help. He was still thinking about this when he knocked on the door.

The moment Dereck opened the door, Misha smiled brightly at the chubby child, who was clearly surprised to see his friend standing on his doorstep. For the past few days, Dereck had often passed by his house, but nobody was there. Frankly, he had found it odd, and he even felt a little worried. The day his friend went to the hospital, he was at his house, so he knew what had happened. However, after that, he didn't get any news.

Finally, the boy showed up at his doorstep a few days later as if nothing had happened, and Dereck didn't know how to react.

Seeing his dumb face, Misha couldn't swallow back his laughter and said, "Surprise!"

Although Misha knew he should have called before coming over, he had never been the kind to do so, popping up when people least expect it. He always did things impulsively, which included visiting his friends. Anyway, he only lived two blocks away, so it wasn't inconvenient to walk and ask in person if he could come and play – he was already there, so the possibility of his friend saying 'no' wasn't as high as if he had called.

With a gentle smile, Dereck softly asked, a hint of worry in his voice, "You're fine now? Your fever is gone?"

"Yes! I'm perfectly fine!" said Misha with a proud tone, puffing out his small c.h.e.s.t. He was even able to walk to his friend's house without feeling too exhausted. It was something worth celebrating! "So, can we play together?"

"Sure!" answered the chubby child, beaming with joy. Lately, it had been lonely without Misha, who was his only friend. "I will ask grandma."

The child went in and came back quickly, nodding to let them know that the answer was 'yes.'

"I will pick up Misha around five," said Alexey, his tone as icy as ever. Glancing at his son, he added, "Don't cause trouble for your friend."

"I won't!" replied the boy, his mouth twitching. He couldn't wait for his father to leave, and when the man finally walked away, he glared at his back. 'Humph! I hope you get lost,' he childishly thought, knowing perfectly well that it wasn't possible.

"Come in!" said Dereck, pushing the door a little further open, and Misha obediently walked in, glancing around curiously. It had been a long time since he had come here.

Dreck's room was on the second floor. To reach it, they had to walk through the living room where his grandmother was watching the TV while knitting a pair of slippers. Since it was a weekday, Dereck's parents were at work, and it was his grandmother who babysat him. Because she lived with them – her apartment was in the bas.e.m.e.nt –, it was convenient for her to take care of her grandson. She also didn't mind.

When Misha saw her, he politely said, "Hello." However, he didn't receive any response. The old lady was quietly knitting, not even lifting her head to greet him. Misha didn't take it to heart. If his memory served him right, her earing was quite bad, and if he wanted her to hear him, he needed to talk with a loud voice while being close to his ear.

After a last glance at the old lady, Misha followed his friend upstairs. Although he hadn't come to this house for many years now, it felt somehow familiar, and a warm feeling spread in his stomach. After his father started to beat him, he would often hide here when Gabriel wasn't at home, and Dereck would silently take care of him. Even as they grew up, Dereck still kept an eye on him. Since their youth, he had taken Misha under his wing, saying that he was two months older than him, and thus, looking after him was his duty.

Dereck had always been more m.a.t.u.r.e than boys of his age. Now that Misha thought about it, it was probably his fault. A bittersweet smile stretched his lips. For all Dereck had done for him, he could forgive his little betrayal at the bar – yes, until now, he was still thinking of taking revenge one of these days.

Once they were in Dereck's room, Misha's smile grew wicker as he said, "Do you remember your promise?"

Blinking, Dereck asked, "Which one?"

There was more than one? Misha rapidly tossed the thought aside. It wasn't like he could remember them, anyway.

The boy cheerfully answered, "Helping me pulling pranks on my sister's boyfriend!"

"Oh, this one. Yes, I remember."

"Then, do you have money?"

"… Yes, I have some left from my birthday."

"Then, it is time to go out and shop a little!"

Dereck frowned. He wasn't supposed to leave his house when his parents were out, except if he was going to visit Misha. Although he had promised to help his friend, and they also did some naughty things previously, he was still an honest and obedient child at heart.

"Don't worry, I will pay you back!"

Misha mistook his friend's expression. He had forgotten that once upon a time, Dereck had been a law-abiding person. It changed a bit in their teens. The poor teenager, who was worried about his friend, decided to follow him around, making sure he didn't go overboard with his rashness. Thus, Dereck often ended up sneaking around. It was impossible to know how many times they went out to the bar underaged, or how many times they had gotten in trouble because of this.

Dereck was an honest man, but he could step on his principles a little if it were for that troublemaker, who was also his very first friend.

"I don't really mind the money," admitted Dereck, "It just that I'm not supposed to leave the house."

"Don't worry, don't worry! If your parents don't find out, there won't be any problems."

"But…"

"Trust me! Your grandmother is half-deaf, she won't hear us leave, and we will come back before that bast–" Misha coughed and changed the words he was about to say, "Before my father comes to pick me up."

Little Dereck fidgeted a little before finally nodding. He felt both excited and anxious at the same time. It was the first time that he would sneak out, yet it also seemed like a familiar thing, which puzzled him a little.

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Author's note:

ML: So, a few chapters ago, you had 'children' with Vanessa, and now you're eloping with Dereck. Who exactly is the ML of this story?

MC: Not you!

ML: …