Silver sighed and extracted herself from the couch, laying on her back and closing her eyes while she spoke. "Cage went outside for a swim. Gabriel accompanied them and accidentally scared them. Miki screamed. I came down to see what was happening. Miki and Cage were inside and Gabriel was outside. I got him inside and tried to keep him from realizing he had scared Miki, cuz he would feel bad. Miki yelled about how creepy he was and I got mad. Kissa threatened to call Ben cuz we weren't in bed and I was a idiot and instead of remembering what you told us, I told her to go ahead because we needed adult supervision. She called Ben. Cage and I realized she wasn't supposed to so we chased her into the attic. That's why she was screaming when Ben answered. Gabriel got mad because she was in the attic with his animals. We shoved her out of the attic and hung up the phone. Gabriel and Kissa disappeared and then we got your text and we've been here for the last twenty minutes."
She raises an eyebrow. “Quite a story. Kiss?”
Kissa slowly becomes visible again, still staring at her feet.
Ben heads into the kitchen, starting himself some coffee while pulling his hair up.
“I did call, but they were all being loud and running around and it was pass our bedtime.” Kiss states.
Violet looks to her phone, “it was actually only 8:50, and if my memory serves me well, I told you to be in bed by- oh my word, Cage.” Her eyes shift to him. “You went swimming fully clothed in this weather and didn’t even dry and change?! You’re going to catch your death!”
"He did!" Miki squeaked. "I told him not to! But he did anyway! And he liked it! I told him something is seriously wrong with his brain."
With a sigh of exasperation, she stands, pulling him up from the couch. “Go take a warm shower and drink some hot tea.”
He nods and trudges up the stairs. Ben watches, eyebrows raised.
I can’t believe we’re related. It’s too cold out there. How is he alive?
Vi rubs her forehead and sighs again. “Did anybody else go swimming?”
"No." Miki squeaked again, her voice even higher. "I promise I tried to make him stop but he wouldn't. The only other stupid thing we did was call Ben."
"I'm sorry." Silver mumbled, her face buried in the pillow again. "I tried to make us be good but I forgot."
“You weren’t in charge, Silver.” Violet points out. She turns to face the empty space on the couch that is most likely Gabriel. “You let Cage go swimming in 30 degree weather and Kissa call Ben?”
“Cage was fine.” The empty space replies quietly.
Ben strolls over, coffee in hand. “Cage is fine.” He quietly agrees.
Violet gives him a quick glare.
"Okay, but–" Silver sat up, snatching the pillow off her face, to come to Gabe's defense. "But he did go outside to supervise! And you know Cage would probably have gone out anyway. But Gabriel was there to watch and make sure nothing happened."
"And to scare the livin' daylights out of us." Miki muttered under her breath, earning a smack from Silver's pillow.
Violet shushes them, waving a hand. “Listen! Please.” She pauses to sigh. “No swimming unless it’s 50 degrees or higher out. I’ll make a sign if I have to. And under no circumstances does anyone call Benjamin when I’ve given instructions not to do so.” She huffs. “Did you guys eat?”
Miki nodded. "Yes. Kissa cooked food and didn't kill us."
"I'm sorry." Silver whispered again at the mention of calling Ben, sinking back into the couch.
“Alright. Good. Then you’re all free to go get ready for bed.” She turns towards the kitchen, taking off her heels, and takes her place by Ben.
Kissa glares around, as if it’s Silver or Miki’s fault, and silently stands and heads upstairs.
Miki held her hands up to ward off Kissa's wrath, and followed her up the stairs at a safe distance. Silver rolled off the couch, dragging Gabriel's pillow behind her, but paused as she passed the kitchen. Her eyes suddenly welled with tears and she threw her arms around Violet, barely able to hold back her sobs.
"I'm so sorry." she choked. "I'm sorry we ruined everything. Again."
Violet holds back a gasp as she tries not to stumble backwards into Ben with the unexpected weight. She closes her eyes, and as much as she doesn’t really feel like it, she exhales slowly and puts her arms around Sil. “It’s alright, Love. You didn’t do anything, really.”
Ben walks up behind Violet, a small smile pulling at his lips. He sets his free hand on Violets shoulder and she relaxes a little as he rubs it slowly.
Silver clung to her for another moment, but she could feel how uncomfortable Violet was. "But I did." she said, releasing Violet and scrubbing the tears off her cheek. "I stinkin' told Kissa to call Ben, like a total idiot." she looked up at Ben. "I'm so sorry. I ruined your night."
Ben rolls his eyes, mumbling in Russian, and Violet pushes the hair out of Silvers face and gives her a smile. “You’re fine. Do you really think she wouldn’t have called had you said not to?”
Silver took a deep breath. "Well, no, I guess not. But I sure made it worse. Oh my word, Vi, we were all like screaming at the top of our lungs while Kissa had the phone on." She paused for a second, looking back and forth between them. "Did you hear us?"
Ben nods. “Yes. Right in my ear.”
Violet rolls her eyes, “he turned the phone down after the first few words. Had he not, the entire restaurant would have heard.”
A smile flitted over Silver's face and she clamped a hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry. We must have sounded like murder banshee children." A giggle erupted. "Gabriel and Cage and I were all on the ladder at the same time trying to drag her out of the attic and hang up the phone."
“You sounded irritating. That’s all I heard.” He states, raising his cup to his lips and taking a drink.
Violet rubs the bridge of her nose. “I’m sure everyone there now thinks we have five children.”
Silver raised an eyebrow at Vi. "Well, you do."
She opens her mouth to argue, but rubs her temples and exhales instead. “I don’t want five children.” She states quietly, turning and walking to her room.
Ben bites his lip, holding in a laugh, until she’s up the stairs and has closed her door behind her. His eyes fall on Sil, a grin on his face.
Silver mouth fell open and she watched in silence as Violet retreated upstairs. Then she turned to Ben and caught him smiling. "Wait… what? Why are you laughing? Why doesn't she want us?? We are your kids, right??"
He shakes his head, letting out a small and quiet chuckle. “Silver, she’s tired. Let her sleep and she’ll apologize in the morning. I can assure you, this is not the first time she’s wanted to disown you monsters.” He waves a hand, taking another drink.
"Oh. Okay." Silver nodded, slightly pacified. After a moment she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Ben in a hug. "I love you. I promise I love you even when we're bad."
He pats her head. “Yes yes. I’m sure. How old are you? Twenty?”
She squinted up at him, not letting him go from her hug. "Nineteen. Why?"
