The doorbell rang, and Misha’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Gabriel and his goddamn punctuality!’ he thought as he gritted his teeth and glared at the door, hoping the guy behind it would drop dead on the spot. But honestly, why did he have to arrive early? Couldn’t he be late for once?!

Oblivious to her little brother’s foul mood, Masha dashed to the door and opened it, revealing two teenagers; a boy and a girl, the boyfriend and the best friend.

“Hello there!” she giggled.

“Hello, hello!”

After greeting each other, Masha invited them inside and introduced Gabriel to her family. Although his sister’s mouth was moving, Misha didn’t hear a word of what she said. He was too busy keeping himself in check and not pouncing on the teenage boy to bite him to death. Better yet, strangle him.

Misha took a deep breath, trying to calm down. And for the nth time, he told himself that he shouldn’t put Gabriel on guard at their ‘first meeting’, which meant trying to kill him right off the bat was a no-go.

Of course, Misha had planned to do everything he could to make him drop the gentleman’s mask, but that wasn’t for today. He knew it’d take time. In their past life, Gabriel deserved an Oscar for his acting skills and another for his infinite patience, so there was no way he would give himself away because of a few jabs.

Moreover, Misha had to shatter his pretense to dust in one go, or else it would be useless. He couldn’t simply chip it bit by bit. But he needed to do so quickly since Christmas Eve was only a few months away. It was easier said than done, however. His brain wasn’t working well, and he needed time to think about his next course of action.

In the end, Misha decided to play it low-key for the time being. It seemed like a good idea to gain the teenager’s trust first, and he thus tried to behave like a charming and innocent kid. He silenced his hostility, albeit with great difficulty, and swiftly hid behind his mother, his tiny hands gripping her dress. After a short while, he peered at the teenager with his big, round eyes.

Gabriel responded with a smile and crouched slightly so that their eyes could meet. “Hi, Misha. I’m Gabriel, your sister’s boyfriend.” His voice was soothing, calm, and gentle, just like Misha remembered it. “I’ll let you in on something; your sister can’t pass a day without talking about you.”

These words earned the teenager a weak kick on his calf, courtesy of Masha, who was glaring at him with a ‘don’t say strange things’ look on her face.

“Here, I brought you some sweets as a first-meeting gift,” Gabriel continued, ignoring Masha’s little kicks in a well-practiced manner. “I hope they’ll be to your liking.”

The teenager lifted a little white box. Soon, the pleasant smell of donuts filled the air, making the child’s eyes grow wide. Without a word, he snatched the box from his hands before hiding behind his mother once more, burying his small face in her fluffy dress. Chewing his lips, he let out an almost inaudible noise in acknowledgment. They all tacitly decided that the unintelligible sound was a “thank you”.

“When your brother doesn’t play the little devil, he’s way too cute,” Camille, Masha’s best friend, sighed. “I’m a little jealous here. My elder brother just has to bully me whenever we meet! Why couldn’t I have a cute little brother like yours instead?”

“Because he’s my brother,” Masha bragged, proudly puffing out her chest. “There’s no cutest boy on earth!”

Misha’s mouth twitched. He couldn’t help but wonder how they would react if they knew he was hiding because his eyes were filled with hatred, not because he was timid.

Honestly, he’d have liked to beat Gabriel to a pulp right here and right there. Not only because of past grievances but also because he wasn’t fond of being treated like a baby! Misha was almost ten years old, not four! What Misha hadn’t realized, though, was that he was acting like a four-year-old kid, shyly hiding behind his mother and expressing himself with monosyllables.

But what else could Misha do? He wasn’t close to any child, and the only one he knew was Vanessa’s daughter. Before transmigrating into the past, the little girl just turned three, and clueless Misha based his behavior on her. He had no idea how to act like a child and needed a model, although he didn’t take the best one. Well, it was always better than none, right…?

“Now that everyone is here, we better get going, or we’ll miss the train,” Gulnas said, stroking her son’s shoulder.

“Oh my God, you’re right!” Masha panicked after looking at the time. “We need to go!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, they hurriedly departed, took the bus, and caught their train in the nick of time. Misha sat on the soft bench by the window beside his mother while Masha, Camille, and Gabriel sat in front of them.

The two girls were worse than chatterboxes on the trip as they talked nonstop, oblivious to the teenage boy by their side. However, it didn’t seem like Gabriel wanted to participate in the discussion. He didn’t utter a single word and instead listened to their conversation with a smile—Gulnas did the same.

Misha also didn’t want to talk. And so, he opened the white box and slowly ate the donuts, deep in thought. From Toronto to Montreal, it took a bit more than five hours by train, and he wanted to take that time to plan his next moves.

But thinking on a full stomach was no easy feat, and the swaying motion of the train quickly rocked him to sleep.

***

When Misha woke up, it was almost noon, and the train was about to reach the station.

Realizing he had slept most of the trip, Misha inwardly cussed. Then, he sneaked a glance at the teenagers in front of him; the two girls were still chattering while Gabriel had fallen asleep, his head resting against the window. His long eyelashes cast a faint fan-shaped shadow over his slightly tanned cheeks, and his peach-colored mouth was half-open, his lips moist—a real sleeping beauty.

‘The military fade haircut suits him well,’ Misha thought, unable to help but compare it to the simple haircut he had seen in the bar. If Misha was honest, every part of Gabriel looked better than his adult self. There wasn’t that overwhelming impression of tiredness pouring out of him, and his skin had a healthy glow. The atmosphere surrounding him was completely different, and in a way, it deeply troubled Misha.

Why was the difference so big between the past and future Gabriel? Misha shook his head. Whatever the cause was, it didn’t matter. He resolutely tossed the thought at the back of his mind, glancing at his sister instead.

Since this morning, Misha still hadn’t taken a proper look at her. If he looked at his sister for too long, he was afraid that the memory of her bloody corpse would overlap with her teenage self. Nightmares had haunted his nights for too many years, and it wasn’t easy to get rid of their shadows. But he also wanted to take a peek, just to see her well and full of life and joy. And maybe rewrite the traumatic image burned into his brain.

After a deep breath, Misha pushed aside his fears and finally looked at Masha, who was laughing loudly. Her crystal clear blue eyes sparkled like thousands of stars, and her blonde hair fell under her waist. Contrary to him, she didn’t inherit the frail body of their mother; no, she was taller than most girls of her age and well-developed. She had just enough curves to be somehow enticing without being too alluring. She wore a lovely pale-violet dress that didn’t show much of her skin and brown leather sandals.

‘My sister is gorgeous… And sure enough, flies buzz around her.’ Misha glared at one of the said flies as Gabriel yawned, awakened by the sudden stop of the train—well, his sister had also helped him wake up by not-so-gently elbowing his side.

‘Nice job, sis’!’ Misha made a silent thumb up to his sister just before his mother took his hand and led him outside. Meanwhile, Masha, Camille, and Gabriel picked up their backpacks.

Misha obediently followed behind his mother, feeling a bit sluggish. Even though he had slept for most of the trip, he was still tired. His feet also felt heavy, almost as if the sole of his shoes had turned into iron. He didn’t complain, though, and kept walking at the same pace as everyone else.

“Since the check-in for the hotel is at 3:00 PM, we will have to keep our backpacks until then. We should eat something first, then head out to the Jardin Botanique,” Gulnas said. “Where do you want to eat, Masha? It’s your birthday, so you can choose whatever restaurant you want.”

“Hm… Then, Chinese buffet it is!”

They rode the subway and went to Chinatown in the Old-Montreal. The district wasn’t big and was mainly composed of Chinese restaurants mixed with stores that sold Chinese commodities or souvenirs. It made it easy to find a Chinese buffet at the corner of a street.

The restaurant wasn’t crowded, even though it was relatively small—the building was old and had been built for a residential purpose, not a commercial one. The decoration was simple, and some Chinese landscape paintings, scrolls, and calligraphies were hung on the wall while a few exotic plants stood by the counter. There were tables, chairs, and benches on one side, and on the other, a buffet brimming with food. The smell of roasted beef and different spices filled the restaurant, whetting Masha’s appetite. Misha swore he saw her wipe her drool at one point.

As they went to a table to drop off their backpacks, Gabriel said, “Go first. I’ll look after our belongings.”

Masha and Camille barely uttered a thank-you word before bolting to the buffet. Taken aback, Misha watched them with round eyes. His sister lacked manners, for sure. It was fine when it was him, but he found it weird when she acted as he would. After their mother’s death, she matured all at once and stopped behaving childishly like this. She took care of him in place of their mother, and not long after, she also took over their father’s role; Misha had long forgotten that she had been a kid once upon a time.

A strange feeling twisted his belly at the thought, and he didn’t know how he felt. He would make sure his sister didn’t grow up too fast this time; he wanted her to enjoy her teenage years.

“Thank you, Gabriel,” Gulnas said, drawing Misha’s attention back to the teenager.

His mother turned toward the buffet but waited for Misha to follow, yet the boy didn’t move. Gabriel’s stomach had been rumbling loudly, and an idea finally popped into Misha’s mind—and of course, he had to put it into action right away.

Misha offered with a bright smile that couldn’t quite hide the maliciousness in his eyes, “I’ll bring you something!”

“Thanks, but that’s not necessary. I can’t wait a bit longer, so don’t worry.”

“But! You gave me a box of donuts! It’s not fair!” Misha pouted, cutely pursing his lips. “I also want to give you something! I’ll choose delicious food for you! Or what? You don’t trust me?”

Gabriel opened his mouth, seemingly to protest, but his words ended twisted, and he accepted his offer. Oh well, if it could make the little boy happy, then why not?

As soon as Gabriel agreed, Misha bolted to the buffet with his mother following behind him, chuckling.

Misha took a plate and scanned the buffet, a broad grin on his lips. He chose three side dishes to fill it: garlic mushrooms in butter sauce, caramelized onions and bell peppers, and stir-fried mushroom with chicken marinated in spices. He also took a cream of mushroom soup for himself.

Then, Misha quickly returned to the table, a proud smile stretching his lips as he gave Gabriel the plate. The blank expression on the teenager’s face that followed was priceless, and Misha had to bite the inside of his cheeks to stifle his laugh.

Misha innocently asked, “Is something wrong with what I chose?”

A short second passed before Gabriel smiled and answered, “No, nothing is wrong. I was just a bit surprised.”

“Is that so.” Misha sat in front of the teenager. “Mushrooms are so tasty! I love them!”

His eyes were sparkling, but not because of his favorite food.

“Yeah. I can see that….”

Unlike Gabriel, Misha happily ate his dinner, almost humming. He knew Gabriel wouldn’t say or do anything to make his girlfriend’s brother feel sad or awkward, especially since he wanted to get him on his side. Thus, Gabriel couldn’t exactly tell him that he hated everything on the plate.

The mushrooms, the onions, and then the chicken too spicy for his taste. Just looking at it made his stomach churn in disgust, and that was why Misha filled the plate with these “marvelous” dishes. Because of his past life, he was all too aware of Gabriel’s likes and dislikes, so he might as well use it to his advantage. Being a child and having the face of an angel proved itself to be handy, too; Gabriel couldn’t refuse him anything.

It was an act of petty revenge, but it still felt pretty good. Watching the teenage boy trying not to frown while eating the food he hated the most was quite satisfying.

Mini theater

ML: Misha. I’m not going to a restaurant with you ever again.

MC: No need. I’ll just cook some mushroom dishes every time you visit us.

Author: First, you will need to learn how to cook proper meals.

MC: Well. If he is the one who eats what I make, it’s not really a problem if it’s not edible, right?

Author: …

ML: ...That lil’ devil…