A faint, barely audible wince escaped Tristan as he bent over, a hand on his forehead. His small face was crunched up in pain, his brow creased and his mouth tightly shut. His gaze was unfocused, as if his eyes were looking up at something that wasn't there while he instinctively snuggled against Jake to hide, showing off his back to the adults in the room.
Thanks to the noisy crowd, no one had heard his grunt, except for his brother and Stephan, who had been standing close to him in the back of the living room, away from everyone else.
"Are you alright?" Jake asked, worry softening his voice. It wasn't the first time he'd seen his little brother in such a state; those symptoms were a sign that a certain someone was being a pest and sending memories over. Apparently, it wasn't a painless process when it was done awake.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Tristan forced out through gritted teeth.
It felt like an ice pick was hammered into his skull, and the pain irradiated down his spine. He much preferred peeking at Pierrot's memories in his sleep, where his head wasn't trying to kill him as much.
"What are you seeing?" Jake whispered, careful not to be too loud. He didn't want to aggravate the pain, nor did he want to attract unwelcome attention.
"Pierrot seems to be watching the police officers raiding his hideout from whatever vantage point he's found. Thank God, they finally located Gabriel. Two officers are bringing him out; Gaby's walking on his own two feet, and he looks perfectly fine."
Tristan heaved a sigh of relief. He didn't even mind the pain anymore; Gabriel was safe, and that was all that mattered. He couldn't even muster his usual annoyance at Pierrot when a 'happy, now?' was transmitted to his brain, alongside the man's memories. It was better to ignore him, anyway.
"I've got to tell Misha!" the boy smiled, but he straightened his back too fast, and the terrible headache throbbed, drumming at his temples. He could only stop dead in his tracks, burying his painful head in his hands once again.
"Stay there with Stephan," Jake said, patting his shoulder. "I'll relay the good news. It shouldn't be long before the police officer in charge announces they've found him, too."
With no other choice, Tristan nodded. He'd have liked to tell Misha himself, but his body wasn't very cooperative right now. Pierrot had cut the connection, yet the pain lingered. It'd take a few more minutes before it faded enough to allow him to move around without agonizing.
***
Jake zigzagged between the crowd, nodding at some police officers in his wake. Misha was nowhere in sight. Could he still be outside? He recalled having seen him getting out, with his father following in tow.
Hesitation made him pause. Maybe interrupting wasn't such a good idea, or maybe it was.
Everyone in their little group had been made aware of Misha's past with his father, although nothing had been said clearly. It was only a vague conception of what might have happened in the first timeline. After all, Misha always refused to elaborate on it, consistently repeating that Alexey wasn't that drunkard asshole anymore. He was a completely different man, so there was no point in bringing up the past.
Yet, it still affected him to this day, no matter how much Misha tried to deny it.
A sigh was caught in Jake's throat. Because he shared a similar experience, he could understand him a little too much. Still, if Misha didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't bring up the subject. There were probably too many memories he didn't want to remember.
For now, though, what mattered was easing the poor lad's nerves. Misha did a good job at pretending to be fine, letting the anger speak most of the time, but they all knew how anxious he must have been deep down. The delay of three days had almost reached its limit, and no one knew what would have happened to Gabriel had they been a minute too late. Pierrot wasn't exactly a kind soul.
'Gabriel really screwed up this time,' the fleeting thought crossed Jake's mind as he opened the door, only to freeze at the scene greeting him.
Misha was hugging his father, sniffling against his chest, and Alexey was comforting him with awkward pats on the back. It was a strange sight, something Jake could never have imagined seeing.
…Should he make his presence known? They hadn't noticed him yet—ah, crap. Alexey's gaze met his. They both stared at each other, not knowing what to do. Misha rarely, if ever, broke down before them, and neither knew how to handle him. It was far easier to deal with his fits of anger. Whenever Misha showed a hint of vulnerability, it was difficult to swallow. Perhaps, they were all too used to his rude but bubbly personality.
Now, what?
In the end, excited voices behind Jake traveled to his ears, snapping him back to reality. Perfect timing. It seemed like the news had been relayed, and people cheered inside. He could hear Angela thanking the police officers profusely, even though she must be livid deep down. Too bad her stepson's corpse hadn't been found in a ditch, huh?
"What…?" Misha sniffled, glaring at Jake over his and his father's shoulders. Of course, he had heard the racket.
"It looks like they've found Gabriel, and he's in good health."
There was a second of stunned silence before Misha's face seemed to glow.
"Really?!"
It took but an instant for Misha to bounce on his feet, the coat on his shoulders falling on the doorstep as he bolted inside. Alexey shook his head slightly as he took the coat, quickly following behind Misha and nodding at Jake in passing.
After one last look at the empty doorstep, Jake closed the door before turning on his heel and joining the crowd that had gathered in the living room.
Now, it was time to think about what to do next. Gabriel had given them a golden opportunity, and it would be a shame to waste it.
***
"Misha, slow down!"
Misha didn't. His sister's words went in one ear and out the other as she, Jake, Tristan, and his father chased after him. He couldn't care less about the 'proper behavior' he should have in a hospital and swiftly ran through the corridor to Gabriel's room.
The police officer accompanying them had assured that Gabriel was in good health, and he was brought to the hospital just in case. Jake had whispered to him that it was also to document the bruises he had gotten by a doctor for the case, and to bring it up during the trial. There truly wasn't anything to be worried about.
To that, Misha's answer was: bullshit!
Unlike Tristan, he couldn't see through Pierrot's eyes, and he would feel reassured only after meeting with Gabriel.
Right now, there was only a small group because there were only so many people that could fit in one car, and there were still many things left to do, which Matthew and Angela had proposed to take care of, alongside Gulnas. They would come a little later.
—The investigation was still ongoing, even after finding Gabriel. There were, according to the mister in charge, some grey zones they wanted to clarify. Misha didn't exactly pay heed to whatever the police officers and the others said, his mind too preoccupied by Gabriel's well-being.
As such, he stormed into Gabriel's room and, before the man could say a single word, pounced on him. The momentum made him crash onto the bed, and Misha lay sprawled atop him under the nurse's chuckle, who nodded to excuse herself as the rest of the group arrived. The police officer politely stayed outside to give them a bit of privacy.
"You frigging asshole! Don't you dare scare the living shit out of me like this again!"
"I'm sorry," Gabriel smiled softly, patting Misha's back with some reserve. He discreetly gestured at Alexey with a tilt of his head, visibly trying to remind Misha of his father's presence.
It did nothing, and Misha's embrace grew tighter instead. Alexey knew, anyway, so why should he restrain himself?! He heard his sister cough, however. That was when he was reminded that the others didn't know that Alexey knew. Well, whatever. Not his problem.
"What?" Misha growled, peering at the group as he possessively hugged Gabriel. He wasn't going to let him out of his sight for a second, not after the crazy shit he just pulled out. If Misha didn't have trust issues before, he sure had now.
"Well, you know…?" Masha chuckled awkwardly, eying her father. Jake and Tristan also gave the man a side glance.
Alexey cocked an eyebrow.
"So, Gabriel's brothers knew?"
Misha pursed his lips but nodded. He hesitated a second before disclosing one important detail, "His parents don't, though."
"I see. I'll be in the corridor waiting for your mother to arrive. Don't worry, I'll let you know before we come in."
"Thanks." Misha paused for an instant, then added in a smaller voice, "Dad."
"You're welcome. But I still want to have that discussion with your boyfriend later. You won't escape it, neither of you."
A grunt was Misha's answer as he hid his face in the crook of Gabriel's neck, pretending he hadn't noticed how livid everyone in the room had grown. Even Jake and Gabriel, these poker face masters, couldn't stay impassive.
Once Alexey was out of the room, Masha's shout drilled his eardrums.
"MISHA!"
"Don't scream at me!" Misha snorted. "You're as much to blame as I!"
"How so?!"
"Well, hum,, dad said to close the door the next time we want to talk about our love life in private, even if it's the middle of the night. Apparently, his bladder is bad."
"You've got to be shit—"
"Language!"
"Who cares! Tristan has seen and heard worse from Pierrot!"
"That's not a reason!"
The Lesskov siblings glared at each other; one standing beside the hospital bed, while the other was quite literally perched atop Gabriel. Then, realization seemed to strike Masha.
"Wait. Does he know about me, too?!"
"I'd guess so…?"
"Fuuu—"
"Language!"
"Misha," Gabriel interrupted the siblings' squabbling, now at ease with passing an arm around his waist, red marks on his wrist visible for everyone to see, "should I be worried about that talk?"
"Probably not? At least, not for the gender part. You're just a little too old for me, according to my father."
Gabriel opened his mouth before closing it as fast. Misha quirked an eyebrow, slightly amused. He wondered how his father would react if he knew that, mentally, he was older than Gabriel by as many years as Gabriel was currently older than him. Between the two, he was the one a little too old. But that was a detail he had no intention of bringing up.