Misha rubbed his sleepy eyes before yawning and stretching. Lazily, he threw a side-glance to his left, glaring at the floor-to-ceiling windows. The bright moonlight was falling upon the living room as they had forgotten to close the shutters last night. But even if they had shut them, Misha would most likely have woken up anyway. Thanks to his sister, he'd grown too used to getting up at the crack of dawn during summer. Regardless of when he went to bed, his body would always give him the middle finger and wake him up at around the same hour every day. Five hours of sleep? That was more than enough. And even if he thought it wasn't and tried to go back to sleep, it wouldn't work.
Of course, today was no exception. It was barely past five, and he was already up. He let out an annoyed groan. With Gabriel by his side, he'd have much preferred to sleep in this morning. He loved to snuggle against the man's back, and it was thus a shame to get up so early. Cuddling was so comforting! With that in mind, Misha peered at Gabriel and could not help but click his tongue. Unlike him, this one was sleeping like a baby, unbothered by the warmth that had left his back. So unfair!
"Looks like someone's sleeping like the dead again," Misha snorted as he pinched Gabriel's cheek. "I swear, I could do whatever I want with you, and you wouldn't even wake up. Crazy how your survival instinct goes MIA when you're asleep, although I guess Jake isn't any better."
A chuckle escaped Misha as his gaze grew tender. Gabriel's sleeping face looked so peaceful that it tugged at his heartstrings. No matter how many years passed, this life and their current relationship still felt surreal. It was a world apart from the first timeline. And soon, their relationship would take a step further, giving him the right to steal a kiss whenever he felt like it. That was a dreamy thought.
…Damn it, the irritating wait popped into his mind again. One month left, one month! The good-morning kiss had to wait for a little longer. Although with reluctance, Misha settled with poking Gabriel's soft lips today.
"Alright, better get up and work on breakfast. Let's have a feast this morning–"
Stopping mid-sentence, Misha frowned as he tilted his head. He finally noticed that someone was missing. The small bundle of blankets that usually lay between Gabriel and Jake was gone. Tristan had the habit of covering his entire body up to the crown of his head with the sheets and disappearing underneath, hiding himself from view. He tended to roll over in a cocoon that was easy to spot. However, there was no cocoon this morning; nothing was left but the futon between Gabriel and Jake. The empty space puzzled Misha. Did Tristan go to the toilet? But with his blankets? Strange.
An unsettling, foreboding feeling started to grow in his guts. His instinct was usually spot on, so Misha didn't delay and sprang to his feet. He then ran all over the house in search of the boy. He might be overreacting, but he'd rather overreact than not act and regret it later. Tristan shared many of his brothers' bad habits, and Misha feared something had happened. He knew all too well the boy was going through hell each night because of Pierrot's memories. Tristan tried to downplay it, but it was obvious to anyone with eyes and a brain. It was hard on the child, and it had been taking its toll on his mental health these past two years.
What if, last night, Tristan witnessed something horrifying enough to finally break him? There were only so many horrors a human's heart could take, even more so a child's.
Misha might have acted strong and well, but his sister's death in the first timeline still lingered in the back of his mind. It wasn't something he could ever forget. Deep down, he always feared falling upon a similar sight one day. He was aware it was an irrational fear. But fear was fear because it couldn't be controlled. It gripped people from the inside and suffocated them, regardless of their thoughts and will.
"Where the heck is he?!"
The house was empty. The boy was nowhere in sight; he wasn't in the garage or the basement either. He hadn't snuck into Misha's bed, nor hid under. Misha was starting to run out of ideas. Where else had he not searched yet? When that thought crossed his mind, something caught his eye at last – something that shouldn't be there.
The morning light blinded Misha for an instant as he turned around toward the balcony, and then he saw the bundled-up child sleeping outside. His silhouette had been hidden at first, blending in the shadows.
"Tristan!"
The sight almost made Misha's heart stop. He opened the balcony door in a split second and sprinted to the boy, nearly tripping on the door frame. His toes got caught, and a sharp pain traveled from his feet all the way up to his head. But Misha barely registered the pulsing yet numbing pain as he threw himself to Tristan's side.
"Tristan, Tristan!"
Panicked, Misha repeated the boy's name as he shook his shoulders. He was cold, and his lips had turned slightly blueish-grey. Even if the night wasn't freezing yet, the temperature was low, too low for a child to sleep outside. No matter how bundled up in blankets he was, it was still too cold to be healthy.
"What do I do? What do I do?"
The boy wasn't waking up, driving Misha crazy. He wasn't sure whether bringing the child inside was a good idea. He had overheard Yuki talk once about temperature shock. It had something to do with how the body could react badly when it had grown cold and was suddenly exposed to a hotter temperature. The warming had to be gradual. But how should he do that? He didn't know. He wasn't even sure if that applied to this case. Tristan wasn't frozen stiff, just relatively cold to the touch. But the color of his lips…
"Right, Yuki!"
She should know what to do! Misha, frantic, rummaged through his pockets, searching for his phone. He could call the nurse for instructions and an ambulance if needed. But Misha couldn't find his phone. It wasn't in any of his pockets. Where the heck had he left it?! Should he leave the boy's side and search for it? What was he supposed to do? He wasn't that disoriented when Gabriel tumbled down the mountain years ago! Maybe because the wound had been obvious, the best course of action had been easy to figure out at the time, but not now.
"Misha…?"
The small voice snapped Misha out of his frenzy. He heaved a sigh of relief and cupped the child's cold cheeks. The poor boy seemed disoriented, and Misha could see something else lurking in the depths of his chocolate eyes. However, he decided not to point it out. That wasn't important right now. First things first, he had to warm the kid.
"How are you feeling?" Misha stuttered. "Do you think we can go inside the house? Will you be alright?"
"I'm a bit cold, but I feel fine otherwise," Tristan frowned, seemingly realizing he had fallen asleep on the balcony. Considering Misha's habit to wake up at around five, he should have been outside for three to four hours. Thankfully, he had taken all the blankets with him, keeping his body warm enough. Only his exposed face had been battered by the night breeze. "Don't worry. I'm a little sluggish, but that's all."
Not convinced, Misha pursed his lips. Still, he held his doubts to help the boy to get up on his feet instead and walk inside the house. Tristan hissed when the warm air hit his face. The temperature difference stung.
"How about a shower?" Misha proposed, resentfully glaring at the sleeping people in the living room. No one woke up despite the ruckus he made when rummaging through the house, not even Stephan, who was supposedly a light sleeper. "You can gradually turn the water temperature hotter to help your body warm up."
"Sounds like a good idea."
They climbed the stairs one step at a time, with Misha holding onto the boy in case he slipped. He was afraid his legs would give up and turned a deaf ear to the boy telling him he was fine. What fine? He almost gave him a heart attack!
"What were you doing outside? You scared me to death."
"I just wanted to breath some fresh air," Tristan laughed wryly, licking his dry lips. Talking hurt his throat a bit. "I didn't think I'd fall asleep there."
"Well, you did! And looks like you're a heavy sleeper, just like your brothers! I swear, something is wrong with you three. The world could be falling apart, and you would still be sleeping without a care."
Misha continued to grumble until they reached the bathroom. He prepared a towel and everything else Tristan would need.
"Misha," Tristan whispered, "can you not tell my brothers?"
The plea made Misha freeze for a moment. He turned around and tried to smile, but his smile was too stiff. It told the boy everything he needed to know. Regardless, Misha explained himself.
"Should I remind you how bad I am at keeping my mouth shut? Even if I wanted to stay quiet, I'd have a slip of the tongue one day or another. It's better to come clean right away. Also, you wouldn't be the only one to get scolded to death if I hid it and your brothers found out later. I don't want to be at the mercy of Jake's sharp tongue, thank you."
Tristan lowered his head in resignation. Misha was right, but he didn't want his brothers to know and worry. However, it wasn't like he had a choice.
"…Alright."