Misha flew upstairs as if the Grim Reaper himself was pursuing him, leaving a laughing Stephan behind. He didn't care, though. No, he didn't even bother glancing back once as he strode over the steps four at a time, fleeing with his tail tucked between his legs before his friend realized he'd arrived.
The damn jerk could have told him Vanessa was scheduled for today's shift! Suddenly seeing her out of the blue almost gave him a heart attack. If he had known she was working tonight….
Well, he'd have skipped work.
It wasn't because they were in a cold war of sorts: Vanessa was still very much his best friend, and Misha still adored her. But goddamn it! Her gossiping soul was impossible to handle. Maybe asking her to cover his butt hadn't been such a great idea because, now, her new favorite pastime was to pester him about his love life and sex life. She wasn't dumb, and it was clear as day what Misha and Gabriel had done during their little romantic getaway.
To anyone in the know, they could tell this was their first official date, and both were now adults. Most likely, their nights had been, let's say, busy.
But the thing was, Vanessa wanted him to spell it out for her! She wanted all the juicy details, leaving Misha at a loss for words. So what if he lost his virginity? She didn't need to know which one he lost! Or whatever else they did!
In the back of his mind, Misha was very much aware that Vanessa was being a pest on purpose. His over-the-top reactions were amusing her, and she simply couldn't get enough. How could she resist teasing him when she, herself, had no shame whatsoever? To get some peace, he'd need to rein in his temper and learn not to blush. Two things he couldn't control!
So, the best alternative was to run away.
"You know," Stephan sighed as he unlocked the door of his office, aware Misha would most likely be crashing on his couch tonight instead of doing his work, "if I were a normal boss, I'd have fired you a long time ago."
"But you're not normal in any aspect whatsoever, so who cares?" Misha swiftly snuck inside the room, bypassing the man. "Besides, it's not like you're going to pay me if I don't work."
"Isn't that the basics?" Stephan felt his mouth twitch as he removed his coat, hanging it on the chair. "You do know that when you're behaving like a spoiled brat, I'm losing a server on the floor, right?"
"And you do know that you've got too many servers and are using most of us as eye candy, right?" Misha rolled his eyes before bolting to the couch to slouch on it. "No one's going to be overworked if I'm not there tonight, and considering my foul mood, it's for the better that I don't serve people today."
Misha was doing his best, but his thoughts still often veered back to Gabriel and his current goal, aka playing bait. He knew it was the fastest way to figure out Camille's motives for reappearing in Masha's life. Rationally, he understood. Emotionally? Heck, no.
"Why did you even bother coming if you weren't planning to actually do some work?" Stephan pinched the bridge of his nose. Sometimes, he wondered who was the most exasperating one between them. It probably depended on the day. Well, at the moment, it was Misha who was being unreasonable. "I think we've been spoiling you too much."
"You're only realizing that now?"
"..."
Alright, Stephan gave up. Misha was a spoiled brat. He knew it, and he didn't care. There was nothing he could do about it; it was too late.
"Fine, fine," Stephan waved. "Play on your phone or something. I've got some accounting to do."
"Wait, you actually do some work?!"
"Probably more than you do," Stephan winked as he sat at his computer desk, switching it on while getting the receipts out. Balancing accounts was always headache-inducing, and he needed to concentrate. His café might be a hobby, an expensive one to boot, but he'd rather not get into the red. A tight budget was necessary for this.
However, Misha didn't pull his phone out. Instead, he stared at him, pinching his lips. It didn't take long before he also started to fidget, shifting on his butt left and right. It was impossible to ignore. Or more accurately, the unusual behavior piqued Stephan's curiosity, making it impossible to ignore.
What was going through that little of his head now?
"If you've got something to ask," Stephan smiled, pushing the receipts aside, "then ask. I can't read into people's minds just yet."
"Please, that's a horrifying thought."
Stephan shrugged. He couldn't read into people's minds, per se, but his observational skills compensated well enough.
"So, what's bothering you?"
Misha hesitated, licking his lips and opening his mouth just to close it. Whatever was troubling him didn't seem easy to bring up. Strange. That guy was straightforwardness incarnate, not to say bluntness. Even more strange was that he had come to him to talk.
Ah.
An epiphany hit Stephan, but before he could tease the man, Misha finally mustered the courage to speak.
"Well, I'm asking for a friend. Like, really, it's for a friend."
Stephan didn't point out the lie and nodded instead, hiding his smile behind his fists. He had to appear oblivious, or Misha would run away. Thus, he adopted a listener pose, propping his elbows on the desk with his hands intertwined into a fist before his chin. That should help Misha open up.
"You see, my friend recently had his first bed experience with his partner. But the thing is, his partner didn't seem to enjoy being on the receiving end all that much… So, well, hum…"
Now blushing up to his ears, Misha looked at his feet, avoiding Stephan's gaze. Maybe he shouldn't have brought it up, finally. But! What else could he do? Stephan was experienced. Like, a lot. Even after a little over two years of abstinence, he was certain he was the most experienced person among his acquaintances. Vanessa also loved to sleep left and right, but she was a woman. And he felt like he'd never hear the end of it if he went to her for advice. At least, with Stephan, he could threaten him with pranks to shut him up…
Anyway, if there was anyone who could advise him on the matter, it was him. It was shameful to ask, but Gabriel's visible discomfort was bothering him too much. No matter how many times his partner told him it was fine, Misha wanted to know if he had done something bad or if he could have done something better.
Even in the eventuality of bottoming instead of Gabriel, knowing what to expect or how to make it more pleasing wouldn't be lost. It might make it appear less scary, too.
"So, he's wondering how to be better at pleasuring his partner?"
A nod was Stephan's answer.
"Hm, that's a difficult question."
"Eh? How come?!"
"Because not everyone likes the same thing, and there's a learning curve. You can't be excellent at everything right off the bat. I mean, the first time I tried to sleep with a guy, he kicked me out of bed 'cause I was too bad at it and it hurt too much."
A discreet chuckle escaped Stephan at Misha's dumbfounded face. What did he see him as? A sex monster?
"Anyway, I think your friend needs to take it slow and be patient. Trying things and slowly figuring out what he and his partner like is the best course of action. He only needs not to be afraid of communicating his likes and dislikes, and to make sure his partner feels the same way. Foreplay is one of the best ways to learn about a partner's sweet spots, too, so I'd encourage them to simply explore each other's bodies and figure things out along the way. Not every night spent together will be mind-blowing, but some will definitely be."
Misha frowned, and Stephan had to resist grinning. No need to be a genius to know what kind of thoughts were going through his head; Gabriel wasn't good at saying 'no' to Misha, even when he disliked something.
Still, it was surprising. He wouldn't have thought his friend would accept being on the receiving end, knowing his preferences. Oh, well. He could tease him about it later.
"So—"
A ringtone interrupted Misha, and Stephan lowered his eyes to his phone. The screen displayed the caller's name: Jake Laflamme.
"Ah, sorry, it's Jake. Mind if I take it?"
"Since when have you cared about my opinion?" Misha grunted back, pursing his lips for good measure.
"Well, we're having an important discussion right now, so—"
"Just answer the goddamn phone!"
Fearing Misha would jump out of the couch and steal his phone, Stephan swiftly flipped it open.
"Yes, Darl—"
Jake didn't allow him to finish speaking. He directly told him the matter at hand, and Stephan's happy-go-lucky expression froze, the blood draining from his face.
"COME AGAIN?!"
The shout startled Misha so much that his eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets. A foreboding feeling started to twist his belly. Stephan was always nonchalant, no matter the situation. He rarely, if ever, raised his voice. Misha had never seen him like this, and at once, he knew something terrible had happened. He just didn't know who it involved yet.