"Guys! Let's drink our heads off tonight!"
His hands plunged in the dirty water of the sink, Gabriel slowly turned around, cocking an eyebrow at Misha as he eyed the pack of beers his partner was proudly showing off. The smug smile on his lips spoke of a thousand words.
"You want us to drink?" Gabriel repeated.
"Well, duh!" Misha rolled his eyes. "It's my first Christmas Eve as an adult," his grin deepened, "so, of course, I have to drink! But drinking on my own? Nah, no way. That's too frigging lonely, and that's what losers do. You two will have to accompany me all night."
"Is that so…"
I guess saying no is not an option, huh? Gabriel resigned himself. He had a high alcohol tolerance, but he doubted Misha did, and he feared the chaos his drunkard partner would bring upon them. Even when sober, Misha could sometimes get a little too rowdy. Gabriel didn't want to imagine what it was like when he was drunk or just tipsy—the little snippets he had overheard from his past life didn't seem promising, either.
"—I've brought eggnog, by the way!" Stephan, who was tasked with wiping the dishes, chimed in. It earned him a glare from Gabriel. "It's homemade, too, and I can vouch for the taste."
"Oh, damn, I love eggnog. I haven't had any in so long…." Misha wiped his non-existent drool. "Come on, get it over with cleaning the dishes and join us in the living room!" He urged before veering on his heels and joining the rest of the group, who had moved from the dining room to the living room after eating. They were currently playing cards and chit-chatting. "And don't forget a glass of milk for Tristan!"
"Yes, yes," Gabriel smiled indulgently before handing over the last plate to Stephan. Once Misha was out of earshot, his tone of voice grew colder as he hissed at his friend, "Your handmade eggnog, huh?"
"Don't worry," Stephan winked, "I didn't add as much alcohol as I usually do. It's mild."
"What's mild for you again?"
Gabriel's answer was an innocent look, and he could already feel the proverbial headache throbbing at his temples. He'd bet a hand that said eggnog was strong enough to set fire to the tongue and throat, as he knew just how much his friend could drink. The guy tended to forget that some people would get alcohol poisoning if they drank a quarter of what he gulped down during parties.
Not everyone had a detoxifying factory as a liver; Stephan was the abnormality here, not the norm!
.
.
"I think you had one too many!" Gabriel sighed, snatching the beer from Misha's hands. It earned him a scowl, and his partner tried to grab the bottle only to trip on his feet and fall against his chest. "See? You can't even stand straight. Slow down on the alcohol a bit, hm?"
"Don't wanna!" Misha pouted, using Gabriel as a sort of crutch as he desperately tried to grab the bottle he was holding above his head. "Gimme! Give it back! Mine!"
Struggling to keep his balance, Gabriel wrapped an arm around his partner's waist to keep him close and steady him however he could. The drunkard was pushing against him with his full body weight, his legs barely supporting him, and Misha was being anything but cooperative.
"Masha!" Gabriel called before throwing the half-empty bottle at his friend, who had been busy laughing at his expense. "Catch."
"Wait, you idiot—!"
Masha's reflex thankfully kicked in, and she caught the bottle before an accident could occur. Still, despite her flawless catch, beer spilled over her hands, making her mouth twitch in annoyance. Gabriel pretended not to notice the daggers she threw his way; he had other matters to deal with, like an angry octopus.
"But why!" Misha drummed on his chest with his fists. "I haven't drunk in so long! Like, in years! Gaby, let me drink! I know the last time I drank, I broke your nose, but I promise I won't do it again! Pretty please!"
"Still no."
"Come on!" Doubling down, Misha tried the puppy eyes technique, seemingly not realizing the words coming out of his mouth were not exactly reassuring. "I only broke your nose twice! Not thrice! Don't be petty!"
"What?" Gulnas choked on her glass of juice, disbelief twisting her facial features. "Did my son really…? Oh my god, I'm so sorry, Gaby!" Then, she frowned. "Wait, you turned eighteen only a few months ago… Son, you…"
"Don't worry mom!" Misha propped his chin on Gabriel's shoulder, nestling his head in the crook of his neck. Gabriel instinctively lifted an arm to run his fingers through his partner's fluffy hair, trying to calm him down. "I was a good boy in this life, and I didn't touch a drop of alcohol before coming of age! Hm, I didn't cause Dereck any problem this time!"
Gabriel eyed Masha, silently asking if they shouldn't tuck Misha in bed early, just in case he said something he shouldn't. Even if they could blame most of whatever was coming out of his mouth on alcohol, it was still a risk he'd rather not take. His partner was already a bad liar when sober, never mind when drunk. Misha was saying everything that was passing through his mind without a second thought, and that was bad for his heart.
"…In this life?" Alexis cocked an eyebrow.
Like his wife, he was drinking juice, and not alcohol. Earlier, when they started to drink, Misha had been adamant about his father not going anywhere near the beers or the eggnog, even enrolling Gabriel and Masha in supervising Alexis so he didn't cheat and drink behind his back.
It wasn't anything new, though, as Misha had been overly vocal about keeping his father away from alcohol since he was a child, and although Gabriel didn't know the whole story, as Misha had never explicitly told him what transpired in the first timeline, it was easy enough to guess the gist of what had happened. No need to be a genius to do one plus one.
So, when Alexis probed about Misha's slip of tongue, Gabriel felt his whole body tense. He'd rather the man didn't ask questions, as it might bring up memories better left buried.
But Misha didn't tense. He was still limp against his body, acting like a boneless fish.
"Yeah, in this life!" Misha giggled, nibbling on his neck. Gabriel hesitated over whether to swat the naughty mouth away or let him gnaw at his skin. The latter kept his mouth busy and prevented him from spouting nonsense. Although that didn't last. "By the way, I love you dad in this life. You're a good dad now. You're even building that bridge between Mom and Masha and me. It's just, y'know? Wow! It's so different from the past!"
Another giggle, and Gabriel felt his heart clench in his chest, ever so slightly. He peered at Masha, and she responded with a nod, quickly intervening, "I think you need to sleep, Misha. You're not making any sense, and you can barely stand on your own two feet without Gabriel's help!"
Next time, I'm not letting him chug down glasses upon glasses of Stephan's eggnog before touching the beers. The thought made Gabriel narrow his eyes at his friend, who pretended not to see him. Yes, sure, avoid my eyes. You know it's your fault, idiot.
"—No, I'm not tired!" Misha whined. "I want to celebrate Christmas Eve a bit longer! It's a great Christmas Eve today! Pleaaase, Sis'!"
"Little bro," Masha adopted a serious demeanor, and Misha hiccupped, his grip on Gabriel's shoulders tightening. Gabriel had to pinch his lips not to smile and offend the porcupine in his arms, lest he wanted to get pricked in retaliation. "If you go to bed, you can drag Gabriel with you, out of sight."
Girl, are you seriously throwing me under the bus right now? The question didn't leave his mouth, yet he had a hunch his friend still heard it, as the pest responded with a bright, snobby smile. She was not the least bit concerned about her mother, sitting by her side, who appeared a tad uncomfortable with the idea.
Not like it mattered to Misha either, and he readily bit the bait. Stars filled his eyes as he stared at Gabriel. His partner had yet to shed the habit he had taken as a child.
"…Alright, fine, let's go to bed," Gabriel sighed, accepting his fate as a sacrificial lamb. "Will you be alright with getting back home on your own, Jake?"
"Well, I didn't—"
"Can we just sleep here, too?" Tristan cut his brother off, adopting Misha's tactics and offering puppy eyes at the adults. "It's too quiet at the apartment…"
Sorrow passed in Gulnas's eyes. With that said, there was no way she could send the poor child home now, not when he had lost his parents not even two months ago. If their house brought him warmth, of course, she would allow him to spend the night here, alongside his brothers.
Deep down, Gabriel knew Tristan was purposely pulling at Gulnas's heartstrings, but didn't comment. It wasn't like he could, anyway; Misha was hellbent on dragging him upstairs now, even though walking wasn't an option anymore, and he had resorted to crawling on the floor and climbing the stairs like a possessed, disarticulated ghost.
"Gaby, how about picking up your boyfriend," Masha laughed, "and bridal-carrying him upstairs?"
The suggestion stunned Misha, as if it were a once-in-a-lifetime revolutionary idea. He groggily turned around and smiled sweetly at Gabriel, stretching his arms as a silent request to pick him up.
"…If you flail, we will both fall."
"I won't flail, I promiiiise!"
Strangely enough, Gabriel was suffering from trust issues, but what could he do? If his partner wanted a bridal carry, then he'd be bridal-carried. Gabriel could only give in, as he could never say no to Misha, drunk or not.