The warm light of the fire danced on Misha's face, enhancing its doll-like features, while the golden hues on his blond hair moved along with the fluttering of the flames. His lips were slightly parted as his shallow breathing came in and out of his mouth, the long eyelashes of his closed eyes cast delicate shadows on his tender cheeks, and his head was tilted to the left.

'When he's asleep, he does look like a little angel,' sighed Gabriel in his heart. 'If only his personality was like his appearance, it would save me a lot of trouble.'

Staring at the boy, who had once again fallen asleep against his arm, the teenager slowly became absorbed in deep thought. He couldn't help but wonder if Misha actually hated him or not.

Like always, the child had insisted on sitting between Gabriel and Masha to separate them, saying that the night was cold and it would be warmer between them. Their bench was also closer to the fire than the one on which his parents were sitting. Everyone could tell that he was making excuses, but no one exposed his lies, and the couple made a place for him. They looked at the child as he hopped to them, ready to jump and catch him if he were to lose balance because of his injured ankle.

As they were enjoying the roasted marshmallows and listening to Mrs. Brown's stories, the boy gradually became sleepy, lulled by his mother's voice. He didn't take a nap in the afternoon, and with the day he had, he was already quite tired when the sun went down. Misha could have taken his sister as a pillow, yet he still chose to rest his head against the teenage boy when he started to doze off.

No matter how Gabriel looked at it, the kid's comportment was contradictory on all points. He seemed to want to get rid of him, but also seemed to want to cling onto him. It was as if he didn't know what he wanted and didn't even realize the discrepancy between his actions.

'What am I supposed to do with you?'

"Any of you want to go to the bathroom?" asked Mrs. Brown as she stood up, snapping Gabriel out of his thoughts.

"No, I'm fine."

"I'm also fine!"

"Ok. Alexey, you're coming with me?" asked Mrs. Brown with a smile. Her husband nodded, and they both left for the bathroom, which was a few hundred meters away.

The two teenagers observed the couple's backs disappear into the darkness, then refocused their attention on the cracking fire and the marshmallows.

The a.d.u.l.ts weren't there, and Misha was asleep, so Gabriel didn't keep on the pretense, and the smile he constantly had on his face vanished. He also didn't force himself to chitchat, welcoming the sudden silence with open arms. He didn't have the intention to talk until Masha opened her mouth, starting a conversation much to his dismay.

"It seems like my little brother is switching the target of his affection," pouted the teenage girl, glancing at Gabriel with mockery in her eyes. "I never thought he would be so clingy with someone else other than me. It was quite a sight to see him on your back earlier."

"Don't say strange things," choked the teenager at the sudden words, almost swallowing whole the marshmallow he was chewing. What was this girl getting at again?

"What? My brother is not good enough for you?"

"Your brother is not even ten years old," replied Gabriel matter-of-factly.

"He won't always be a kid, you know?"

"And you know that this is not the kind of conversation you normally have with your boyfriend?" replied the teenager, rolling his eyes at her.

In response, Masha smiled ambiguously, then said, "But I never saw you being so patient with someone. Usually, you would just find an excuse to toss them aside and run away."

"Well, I can't really do that with your brother, can I?" Gabriel paused before adding with an unenthusiastic tone. "Truth be told, I would have liked to have a brother like yours instead of the ones I have. Although he's a brat, everyone can tell that he dearly loves you."

The teenage girl didn't answer. Instead, she tenderly looked at her brother, a smile lingering on her lips. The little boy was sleeping peacefully against Gabriel's arm, appearing as if he cared for nothing in the world but his sleep.

Before his fever, Misha's attachment to her was like a child with his favorite toy, possessive and childish. But lately, she had this strange feeling that he pay attention to her as an older brother would. Even if he was still throwing tantrums from time to time, he seemed to be conscious of her mood, trying to please her whenever he could. He had become so s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e that it shamed many a.d.u.l.ts she knew.

Now that Masha thought about it, her brother was only unreasonable when it involved Gabriel. When the teenager was nearby, he reverted to that lively, bratty child she knew so well. It was as if the little a.d.u.l.t he was in her presence never existed. When she looked at their interactions, it made her feel complicated but also a bit envious.

"You know..." started Masha, biting her lips. "After our discussion two months ago, I tried to talk to my brother a few times, but he didn't tell me anything. I also asked his best friend, yet I still didn't find anything."

The teenage girl shifted her gaze to the fire, observing the bright red flames waltz.

"I can lie to myself forever. My brother really did change, but I don't know what happened. He won't tell me," whispered Masha, clenching her fists over her t.h.i.g.hs. "You can m.a.t.u.r.e so quickly without reason, and at such a young age, with the problems he has..."

"You're worried. It's normal," interrupted Gabriel, giving her a thin wooden stick with a roasted marshmallow on it. "Although your brother is clearly hiding things from you, I don't think he's stuck in a desperate situation, nor do I think he's feeling helpless. On the contrary, he's quite spirited, especially when pulling pranks, and he does seem as strong-willed as you. I think he is acting this way with you because he cares about you and wants to protect you."

"I understand that. However, I can't be at ease. Well, I certainly would if he didn't have the bad tendency to keep everything to himself. It seems like that child doesn't know how to confide in someone," scoffed Masha, anxiously furrowing her brows while bitting on the soft marshmallow.

"The both of you are indeed siblings," sighed Gabriel, stirring the fire with a thick stick. "Aren't you doing the same thing? Keeping everything inside?"

"Are you any better? From what I know, you rarely seek help from others when you sure need it way more than me."

"Well, you're there for me, aren't you?"

"What a smooth talker! You should be careful. If this goes on, you will end up stealing my heart one day, you know," replied Masha with a frivolous wink, but she was unable to restrain her laughter, and her threat lost all of its seriousness.

Gabriel shook his head, a discreet smirk stretching the corner of his lips. At that moment, the light of a flashlight appeared in the distance, drawing their attention.

"Your parents are coming back, let's go to bed."

"Sure," agreed Masha, throwing the thin stick in the fire.

The teenage boy carried Misha inside the tent that the three of them shared – her parents occupied the second tent. The two teenagers tacitly decided to put Misha in the middle. They were afraid that if the child woke up in the middle of the night and realized that he was sleeping on the side, he would go berserk. They had long understood that this little guy didn't like it when they were close; farther away they were from each other, happier Misha was.

Anyway, Masha also knew her parents would prefer it this way. It took everything to convince them to let her share the same tent as Gabriel. If Misha were physically separating them, it would put them at ease. Her old-fashioned parents still thought that teenage boys turned into wolves once night fell. And even with their son sleeping with them, they had some apprehensions, afraid that the two teenagers could care less about Misha's presence. Teenagers could be impulsive sometimes, after all.

In the end, Gabriel slept on Misha's left while Masha slept on his right, and nothing happened between the two.

____________________

Author's note:

Masha: Misha! Gabriel's a comfortable pillow, right?

MC: No! Not at all!

Masha: Then, why are you always sleeping against him?

MC: You're wrong! I'm not sleeping! I'm trying to drown him in drool!

Masha: *bursts out laughing* Good luck then!

ML:...