Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 87. Happy Eighteenth Birthday

Today, Masha turned eighteen, officially entering adulthood. Yet, she didn't feel any different; she was neither happy nor excited about getting older. She welcomed her eighteenth birthday with utter indifference, thinking it wasn't anything special. Just another day like any other before. It wasn't like last year, when she went out to have fun with her loved ones, playing around in Montreal all day long.

As the thought crossed her mind, a sweet bitterness overflowed her heart.

Her legs were still functional, straight, and beautiful back then, allowing her to walk on her own two feet. The weekend had been busy, so much so that she didn't have time to take a breather, but it had also been wonderful. She had visited Le Jardin Botanique de Montreal and La Ronde, places she had wanted to see with her own two eyes for a very long time. She rode every roller coaster on the last day, laughing and screaming her lungs out together with her mother and Camille. But now, both were gone. One died to protect her, whereas the other cut her out of her life, not showing her any mercy whatsoever. It was hard not to feel depressed at the thought.

"Don't think about it," Masha winced, burying her face in a big teddy bear. "It's fine. I'm fine."

Rubbing her cheek against the belly of the stuffed bear, she tried to chase away the bad thoughts, and they slowly wandered to that plush in her arms. It was the one her brother had won for her at the amusement park, a year ago. Although the teddy bear was bright pink and a bit on the ugly side, she kept it in her bed in plain view, snuggling against its belly whenever she felt down. It always made her feel a little better, and over time, it had become a habit, not to say a conditioned reflex.

Thus, when Gabriel opened the door after knocking, he saw the young woman entangled with the big teddy bear in her bed. It was quite an odd picture if one considered that she was butt-naked. At one point, she had tossed the bedsheets on the floor in her sleep, and her pajamas were nowhere in sight, probably lost somewhere between the blankets, the floor, and the bed, if not underneath the pillows.

"Why aren't you wearing anything?" Gabriel asked with a sigh, closing the door behind him.

"'Cause it's damn hot! And it's not like it matters, anyway. You're gay."

"And what would you have done if it had been your brother instead of me?"

"He's a child. Who cares if he sees me naked?"

"And what about Yuki?"

"She helps me take my bath! She sees me naked all the time," Masha mumbled, her cheeks slightly flushing in spite of herself. "But who cares about that? Why did you interrupt my sweet time with my teddy bear?! What bad manners!"

Gabriel's mouth twitched, but he didn't dwell on the matter any further, or else he feared his IQ would fall into the negative. So instead, he said, "Did you see the time? It's about time you get out of bed."

"...?" Masha frowned before glancing at the clock on the nightstand. Instantly, her eyes grew wide as she realized that it was already the middle of the afternoon. "So late?!"

"Well, you had your physical therapy yesterday. When you returned home, you were exhausted, and when I came this morning to wake you up, you were still dead asleep. So, I decided to let you rest a little longer."

Because Masha still hadn't thrown the blankets aside when he first checked up on her, Gabriel hadn't realized she was naked underneath. He just glanced inside the room and called her name a few times, but there was no answer. Her loud snoring told him she was alive and well, so he decided to close the door and come back later instead of forcibly waking her up. He was well aware of how tiring and stressful physical therapy sessions could be, and it was thus better to let her rest.