Misha felt his throat clench as he glanced at his sister, whose head hung low, a downcast expression obscuring her usually bright eyes. Now that it was time to confront her mother, her previous bravado was gone, and only vulnerability was left.
'That fucking wrench,' Misha gritted his teeth, clenching his fists with so much strength his nails dug into his palms. 'Why the hell did Camille decide to open her mouth now when she had kept quiet for years?!'
Like his sister, he had thought Camille would never dare to bring up her past relationship with Masha, much less out her. She had been so darn adamant about hiding it, as if it were the most shameful thing on earth, and he was certain she would never want the whole world to know about it. But he was wrong. If it could get her a lighter sentence, of course, she would bring it up. The heartless b—
"Is what Camille said true?" Gulnas ultimately asked, and Misha straightened his back, sucking in a deep breath. He knew they would have to tackle the subject with his mother one day, but he hadn't expected to do it like this.
They were sitting in the kitchen, with Masha, Misha, and Gabriel on one side; Alexey and Gulnas on the other. Gabriel should have returned home, but he used the opportunity to slip into the Lesskov's car when his stepmother was busy talking to their lawyer and shedding crocodile tears for the press. Gulnas and Alexey hadn't said anything, and let him sit in the backseat in silence.
Now, Gabriel had to face Gulnas's accusatory gaze alongside Masha. Even Misha wasn't spared, as he seemed to know about his sister's sexual preferences.
"…Yes."
Ultimately, Masha nodded.
A deep breath, then a long sigh.
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Gulnas said in a somewhat gentle voice. "We could have gotten you appointments with a therapist and—"
"Appointments? With a therapist?" Misha cut his mother, looking at her in dismay. "You think Masha needs therapy?"
"Misha, don't get angry." His mother's voice was soft, as if trying to pacify him, but that only backfired. "Your sister is sick, and like all sickness—"
A loud laugh echoed, interrupting Gulnas once more. Misha stared at her, disappointment and anger distorting his face. He was aware his mother didn't have the best opinion on LGBTQ people, but he hadn't expected her to spout such nonsense in this day and age. He was too furious to even feel sad right now, especially when tears started to well in his sister's eyes. Mother or not, she went too far.
His sister wasn't sick. She never was.
"Oh, well, I guess I'm as sick, then! Since I'd rather touch dicks than boobs," Misha smiled coldly, no warmth left in his crystal blue eyes. "But sorry, mother, I don't want your fucking therapy, nor do I need it. I'd rather stay sick than lie to myself. If anything, I believe you're the one who's sick in the head if you believe loving someone is a sickness."
Misha paused briefly, trying not to raise his voice. Since his travel back in time, he hadn't had a single conflict with his mother, not even an argument. But that was about to change.
"Seriously, can you tell me what the heck is wrong with loving someone of the same gender? Oh, and don't you dare give me the unnatural bullshit, 'cause if you hadn't gotten the memo yet, homosexual relationships are quite frequent in the animal world. It's just that, unlike us, they're not stupid enough to judge it. They say humans are smart; sometimes I doubt it, seeing they can use unfounded beliefs to ruin someone else's life just 'cause they can."
"Mish…!" Masha gasped, gripping his arm, her eyes pleading for him to calm down. Only, he had no intention to calm down.
"No, sorry, Masha. If our dearest mother is going to call us sick, then that's what I'm going to call her, too. I don't care if it hurts her; that's what she's doing to you right now, in the name of 'doing it for your sake'. Words have the power to hurt someone deeply, and you know that better than anyone else."
In the long run, his grandparents and his mother's homophobia had led to his sister's death in his past life. She was so scared to speak up about her relationship with Camille because she feared the rejection that would inevitably come with the reveal that she ruined her mental health. It wasn't the main cause, of course, but it was one of them nonetheless.
It wasn't because Misha loved his mother dearly that it meant he should turn a deaf ear and pretend her words were alright to say. They were not.
"Still, you should calm down…!"
"Why? The truth hurts. Mom is being a fucking monster to you right now, and if she can't even see it, then I guess that's it."
"Misha, you're going too far," Alexey warned gently.
"Too far?" Misha laughed coldly. "Dad, do you have any idea what it's like to live with the fear of being abandoned by the people you love just because you don't conform to their perception of 'normalcy'? Do you have any idea how often Masha was hurt by our mother's offhand comments? How often I had to comfort her behind your backs? Did you not stop to wonder why Masha has been pretending to be in a relationship with Gabriel for years? Don't you think that's excessive?"
Misha narrowed his eyes, his gaze as accusatory as his mother's had been a moment ago.
"No, probably not. After all, for mom, we're sick, and we're the ones in the wrong, not her. And, at the end of the day, you would rather take your wife's side than your children's."
A glare kept Alexey from speaking up. Misha knew that he wanted to say that Gulnas didn't know and probably wouldn't have said such words if she had. But how was it an excuse? She was the one who made it so that it was impossible for Masha to bring up the subject. She rooted that fear deep into her daughter's heart, even if it was done unknowingly.
Also, Alexey couldn't defend himself for the accusation, as it was the truth. He'd stand by his wife's side, no matter what. That, Misha knew it well. This man had gone crazy in the first timeline after the loss of his wife, and he was the one who had paid the price for it. As far as he knew, he was still his son.
As for the second timeline… He had no memory of it whatsoever, so he couldn't tell. All he knew was that Alexey loved his wife more than anything, including his children.
"But Misha," Gulnas spoke up, snapping him out of his thoughts. Her voice was now small, and an incredulous expression was plastered on her face. "Homosexuality is not normal."
"See, Dad?" Misha pointed at his mother, refusing to answer her. "Mom can't comprehend that not being part of the majority doesn't necessarily make you abnormal. And I'm sorry, but I don't feel like talking to someone who sees me as sick in the head when I'm clearly not, much less when they try to present themselves as a saint who can help heal my sickness. The hypocrisy is so strong that it's almost laughable."
Alexey opened his mouth but said nothing in the end.
Misha glanced at his mother, who dared to offer a hurtful expression. What the hell was wrong with her? It was alright to call her daughter sick, but being called a hypocrite in return wasn't? What a joke.
"Anyway, this sick son of yours will take his leave, lest he infects you with his disease." That said, Misha pushed his chair away, the legs scraping on the kitchen floor overly loudly. "Masha, Gabriel, we're leaving."
Gabriel hadn't uttered a single word up to now, and even after being spoken to, all he did was nod at Misha's words. As for Masha, she was still in shock, unresponsive, so Misha grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her toward the door.
"Misha, wait!"
His father called, but Misha pretended not to hear. For now, he had nothing left to say, if not curses. In this state, he knew he'd most likely say something he'd regret later. And maybe he already had. But he couldn't care less for the time being.
Soon enough, he took Masha's car key as they passed through the entrance hall and slammed the door, making the wall tremble and leaving a distraught father and a blanked out mother behind.
"Where are we going?" Gabriel asked, snatching the key from Misha's hands—he didn't have his driver's license, and Masha appeared too out of it to drive.
"First, do you want us to drop you at Yuki's, Masha?"
His sister sniffled but nodded.
"Alright. After that, let's go to Vaness'."
"I thought you were avoiding her."
"Well, not anymore," Misha snorted as he climbed into the passenger's seat while Masha lifelessly sat in the back seat. "Dereck still lives at his parents', so… Anyway, she always told me that I could crash at her apartment whenever. So, I guess today is that whenever."
"…Do you plan to stay there for a while?"
"I don't know."
"Should we stop to buy some necessities along the way? Like a toothbrush and clothes?"
"That…"
Misha pinched his lips. That would be admitting he had no intention of going back home, not any time soon, at least.
He sighed and closed his eyes.
"Yeah, let's buy a few things."