Summer ended and school started again. Because Masha and Gabriel both graduated from high school, they had to choose between continuing their studies or entering the job market, which resulted in many debates and discussions that left Misha a little speechless. It was probably the first time he had ever seen Gabriel and Masha argue. These two rarely fought, but when they did, it wasn’t a lovely sight. The longer they quarreled, the uglier it became. It was to the point where Misha and Yuki often had to mediate between the two, trying to calm down a furious Masha and silence a serene-looking Gabriel.
Because her physical condition limited what she could do, Masha ultimately decided to pursue her studies to acquire new skills that would allow her to stand out in the job market. She wanted a job that didn’t require physical exertion, but she also wanted to find something she would genuinely love and enjoy doing. However, she was well aware that to be picky about her profession, she first had to be a qualified worker with good prospects, meaning that she had to educate herself first and foremost.
Of course, if she wished to, Masha could live with the money provided by the assurance as a salary compensation, but because she didn’t have an actual job when she had her accident, the money she received wasn’t much, only the bare minimum. Besides, she knew staying at home doing nothing would drive her crazy one day or another. She had always been the kind who had to busy herself to feel well and alive, so she chose to pursue her studies, determined to find a suitable job that could accommodate her disability.
Before her accident, Masha had planned to work in construction, but it was hard to do so now. Architecture studies did attract her; however, she knew she didn’t have the capabilities to work in that field, too afraid of making a mistake that could cause the building to collapse and kill people. So instead, Masha decided to attend a college that offered video game development courses and diplomas. If she couldn’t build actual buildings, then she might as well do so in video games. Wouldn’t it be fun to create towns out of nothing? Well, it probably wouldn’t be an easy task, but she decided to brush off that detail for now.
Although the college was a little far and she would have to travel almost three hours and a half per day on public transport, everyone supported her decision, happy that she had found something she wanted to do. The problem was that Gabriel chose to follow her and attend the same college. It had made Masha furious; this decision was directly linked to her, not to say made for her sake. How could she not know what that damned best friend of hers was thinking?
First, it was so Gabriel could give her a ride and reduce the number of hours she would have to stay still inside a vehicle. Using a car, it would be a one-hour trip from the house to the college, saving around one hour and a half of public transport per day. Despite the many hours she would need to ride every week to attend school, Masha was very adamant about staying at home, close to her brother and father, instead of renting something closer to the college. Worst case scenario, she could always study on the suburban train and the bus.
Second, if she encountered any difficulty at school, Gabriel could help her as he had no difficulty learning, no matter the subject. But it wasn’t because he could learn pretty much anything with ease that it meant he enjoyed it. In his defense, Gabriel did seem a little interested in video games, but Masha knew it wasn’t enough to make it his future job. It wasn’t something he liked from the bottom of his heart.
“For God’s sake, do something you actually want to do for once in your life!” she screamed, hitting the kitchen table with so much strength that it seemed to crack under her fist. “Gosh, we’re talking about your future! The job you will do for years! Decades even!”
Standing near the table, Misha had observed his sister fly into a rage with wide-open eyes, while Gabriel stayed as calm as ever, not the slightest irritated by all the yelling. When he opened his mouth, his voice was composed, even carrying a subtle touch of tenderness and helplessness.
“There is nothing specific I want to do, really. Besides, if I realize that video game development is not for me while doing the program, I can always change schools and study something else mid-way. I will only lose two-three years.”
“You’re an idiot!” Masha spat out in response. “With your capabilities, you can do pretty much anything you want! Three years is still three years! Think about it! You can be a lawyer, a doctor, a policeman, whatever you want! Take the time to think it over instead of just following me for the sake of it!”
The argument went on for days and weeks. Ultimately, they decided to make a truce and not talk about it. Both were as stubborn as a mule, and nothing they could say or do would change the other’s mind. Misha even suspected that their little quarrel was one reason why his sister sent Gabriel to play outside during summer, making him babysit him in passing. This way, she wouldn’t have to see his face, reducing the risk of her lashing out at him again—though it was also true that she had wanted Misha to enjoy summer and have fun with his friends.
Long story short, Gabriel and Masha’s little war had made Misha feel like he was walking on eggshells. But it also opened his eyes to a reality he had never thought of before. In their past life, why did Gabriel become a teacher? Now he had a hunch it wasn’t something he had always wanted to do.
Deep down, he was aware of the reason, and he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Back then, Misha was a student with lousy grades, and Gabriel always took an hour or two in the evening to help him revise his notes, helping him understand the unfathomable things his teacher had taught him during the day. Then, he would review his homework and patiently advise him, acting pretty much like a personal tutor, albeit without pay.
While studying pedagogy, Gabriel’s teaching techniques became increasingly better, making it easier for Misha to learn and retain information. And once he obtained his degree, Gabriel managed to acquire a post at his high school, allowing him to take care of Misha more efficiently. Without Gabriel’s constant help, it was almost certain Misha would have failed many more courses than he actually had.
But even with the tailor-made tutoring, school subjects were still challenging for him to comprehend, except physical education. At the time, his mental disability, which Misha wasn’t and still wasn’t aware of, made things difficult for him. Coupled with the shadow of his father’s abuse, he wasn’t in any mood to work hard on his studies and slowly lost the will to put in the effort. The only one who didn’t give up on him had been Gabriel, ever so patiently tutoring and encouraging him.
Somehow, Misha felt like he could understand why his sister lost his temper. That guy did too much for those he held dear, having no concept of limits. Misha couldn’t help but wonder what Gabriel would have chosen to become if his loved ones’ troubles and conditions didn’t get in the way. Was there really nothing he wanted to do? Nothing he was interested in? Even if Misha asked, that stubborn guy would only dismiss his questions with a smile and white lies.
When all was said and done, Gabriel still attended the same college as Masha, which helped out the young woman more than she wanted to admit. Designing video games wasn’t as easy as she had first thought. On the contrary, there were many things she had to take into account, making her feel dizzy.
Gabriel’s pieces of advice saved her life throughout the first semester, resulting in her pouting and complaining to her lover when it wasn’t to her little brother. She looked like a drunkard while telling them that life was unfair and mad scientists should experiment on Gabriel’s brain to figure out how the hell it worked. ‘Cause, how could he be so good at everything? It was so damn frustrating. It wasn’t like she wasn’t putting in the effort, you know? So how come she was so much worse than him, a guy who had no genuine interest in video game designs?!
Whenever Masha went on a ranting spree, Misha would comfort her, reminding her that Gabriel was a klutz at everything related to house chores and such. The only good thing about him was his brain and maybe his face. Masha would then purse her lips before hugging him tightly, saying that he was much cuter and lovelier than that boorish man, asking him to never become like him.
In fact, he should just stay a kid forever! To which Misha always said, “Oh God, please no!”
Back to the point, the semester went on, and Misha’s birthday arrived in the middle of it. This year, in addition to Dereck, Vanessa, and Gabriel, Stephan also came, but his mother and Tristan weren’t there. They left a strange void that made Misha’s heart throb. Whenever his thoughts wandered to them, uneasiness seemed to shroud his mind.
Although he was planning to ambush Santa Claus and save his mother’s life no matter the cost, Misha couldn’t help but miss her at the moment, wishing that she was here by his side, smiling and ruffling his hair. Last year, he said that the best gift for him was to celebrate his birthday with his loved ones, which still stood true even now.
As for Tristan, Misha had realized these past few months that Gabriel was missing him. But, of course, he didn’t say it aloud, given the man’s personality. Still, Misha knew Gabriel was worried about the little boy. It sometimes showed in the depths of his eyes when he was lost in thought. But despite his worries, he had no means to contact Tristan and could only hope he was doing fine.
Most people in Gabriel’s family were hostile to him, even more so after Jake tattled about what had happened at the zoo. So how could they let him talk to the baby of the family? Gabriel might as well ask for the moon. That had more chances to succeed.
The last time Gabriel had talked to his little brother was almost half a year ago, and since then, he had no more news. Whenever Misha brought up Tristan in a conversation, Gabriel’s mood seemed to drop. Even if he concealed it behind his usual gentle smile, somehow, Misha could tell that not being able to take care of his brother had become a thorn in his heart.
Truthfully, figuring this out had left a bittersweet taste in his mouth. The relationship between the two brothers was entirely different from their past life, the difference being like day and night. In the first one, Gabriel was indifferent to Tristan, not concerned about his well-being whatsoever, and in the second, he cared deeply about him. Misha still didn’t know why it had changed so much, but maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing.
Thinking of Gabriel, Misha would genuinely have liked it if Tristan had attended his birthday party this time. Even if he wasn’t very fond of the boy for reasons he couldn’t fathom, he was still Gabriel’s precious little brother. If his presence could lift Gabriel’s mood and bring him happiness, then he was more than welcome to come.
But the reality was cruel and seldom cared about his wishes, loving to dash his hopes instead. This year, Tristan didn’t appear at his doorstep, nor did he pop out of thin air. No matter how many times Misha glanced at the front door after all the guests arrived, no one else came knocking. The entrance hall stayed silent all evening.
Edited by Clozed! ♥
