He stays silent, rubbing the ground with the toe of his shoe.
We’re a good bit older.
He opens his mouth to talk, but closes it again. His face starts to drip with sweat and he swallows, heading over to a punching bag and punching it off of its rope. It bursts into flames and he sighs, some of his heat letting up.
Silver stepped away and wiped her nose one more time. The blood flow at slowed down enough that it wasn't running down her face. Her anger had ebbed into tired frustration and she didn't know what else to say.
Ben turns away from the punching bag and faces Silver. He looks down to his hands, rubbing them.
“When-“ He inhales. “When I was 14 my brother decided to ‘help’ a girl around his age. I hated,” He gives a small, uncomfortable chuckle. “I hated her guts. She was mean, violent and very bad for him. I caught them, umm, making out in the living room once. I was so angry with him. I had told him I hated her and he didn’t care, and I cried so hard. He apologized, but told be I was overreacting.” He shakes his head. “I might not say the right thing right now, Silver, but I’m trying. I’m trying to say what- what I wanted him to say. I know this isn’t the same, because we’re married and much older and to my knowledge you don’t hate Vi.” He chuckles, wiping his watery eyes, “but I’m sorry.”
Tears filled her eyes and she sniffed, for an entirely different reason than her bloody nose. "Dang it, why can't I stay mad at you, you idiot." She muttered, turning to him. After a pause she threw her fist into his shoulder as hard as she could and then wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face into his chest.
His shoulder throbbed a little, but he didn’t care. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head, holding her tight.
“I’m really sorry.”
"I don't mind that you're married or that you were kissing I just…" she sighed. "It felt like you were doing exactly what you get mad at me for and when I got upset you just laughed at me. I know you're stressed and tired and you're trying to protect us but sometimes it feels like you make rules for us that you don't follow yourself." She looked up at him. "We're not actually little kids, Ben. Cage and I are nineteen."
He nods. “I know. I know. I’ll try not to break my own rules, Silver, I’m sorry. But we are married.” A grin crosses his face. “I have proof on the license.”
She rolled her eyes. "Oh my word, I believe you. You don't need to prove it. Just… the next time you get married and don't tell anyone, don't start having a moment in the kitchen for anyone to see." She paused and squinted at him. "Why were you kissing her like that in the kitchen? You never do anything like that where anyone can see you."
He purses his lips. “I may have forgotten, because, you know, you screeched. The whole thing is now a blur.” He gives her a smile.
She groaned and gave him a shove. "Lies." But she couldn't wipe the grin off her face. "Come on, let's go upstairs. I'm starving."
Ben grins and heads up behind her, giving Violet a smile.
Cage is dusting off the fan and gives Silver a smile and wave.
"Whoa!" Miki yelled, pausing in her vacuuming. "You didn't kill him? Man, Ben survived almost being killed by two women this morning. He must be blessed."
Silver rolled her eyes and helped herself to a heap of waffles.
Violet chokes on her wine, setting the glass in the sink.
Oh goodness I forgot.
“Benjamin!” She scolds. “You- you-“ she growls and takes a deep breath.
Cage bites his lip, trying not to laugh. “Miki, sush! You’re ruining it. He’s gonna get in trouble again now!”
Silver paused and glanced back and forth between Ben and Vi, taking in the wine glass and remembering how Ben had 'forgotten' why they'd been kissing. "Vi, were you gonna kill him because he gave me wine last night?"
Miki cringed and turned the vacuum back on, cleaning up cobwebs in the corners of the ceiling with gusto.
Ben bites his lip.
Augh, great.
Violet gives him a hard glare, “Yes, Silver. If you didn’t notice, Gabriel was passed out on the floor, and smelled like wine.”
Ben has the nerve to give a small chuckle. “Gabriel? He’s 21, yes? He can have-“
“Benjamin, he’s not even human. You had no idea how it would effect him! Besides, he’s never had it before and probably didn’t know what it was.” Her voice raises pitch more than it does volume.
“Vi, you’re overreacting. I didn’t even give it to him! He poured and chugged a gl-“
“-no no no, don’t try that one again. We both know it wasn’t true last time.”
Cage gasps quietly. “Last time?” He repeats to Miki. “I’m loving this.”
"Hey, Violet." Silver said, leaning against the counter. "Seriously, Ben gave me like half a teaspoon to taste. Gabriel grabbed my glass and filled it to the brim and downed it in like four seconds. You know Ben would never give Gabriel any on purpose. If you want to get someone in trouble, do it to Gabe. Apparently he has no self control."
Miki paused her vacuuming, holding the roaring hose up in the air. "She's just gonna sacrifice Gabriel to Vi's wrath?" she said to Cage, but could barely be heard over the noise of the vacuum. "Maybe she is hungover."
Violet’s glare let’s up a bit and she sighs. “Fine, fine.” She rubs her forehead and turns around. “Where did he go anyways?”
Cage giggles. “I mean, i don’t think he’ll die. Ben is most likely to be killed still.”
Silver pointed to the ceiling. "Attic." She took her waffles into the living room and plopped on the couch. "Assure him that I won't kiss him today. That probably freaked him out."
Vi nods and heads up the stairs. Ben takes a waffle, setting it on a plate and making himself some coffee.
One of these days I’m really going to die.
Cage flops onto the couch. “Can I have wine next time?”
“No.” Ben states, not bothering to look away from his coffee.
"How did she even–MIKI," Silver yelled. "TURN THAT THING–" she flicked her hand and the noise of the vacuum stopped instantly, leaving a ringing silence in it's place.
"Sil!" Miki squeaked. "I'm trying to clean for Robby!"
"It's still on." Silver said around a mouthful of waffle. "I just made it stop murdering my ears."
Miki held her hand in front of the hose to test it and it immediately sucked her skin again it. "CAGE." Miki cried. "We can have a silent vacuum now!"
Silver swallowed her bite of waffle. "So how did Vi find out about the wine thing anyway?"
“Maybe because she had to drag you out of Gabriel’s bed.” Cage glares. “Stay out of my room. A teaspoon of wine isn’t going to make you drunk.” He crosses his arms and turns to Miki, looking over the vacuum. “How’d you get it to do that??”
Silver perched her plate on the arm of the couch and drew her legs up to her chest, settling her cloak around her body so only her head and her wings were visible. "I was in Gabriel's bed? And you moved me?" she stared at them in confusion while a piece of waffle floated up from her plate and toward her face. "I would have woken up." she said and opened her mouth to eat the waffle bite.
Miki snorted. "Yeah, no, you were like DEAD. And you weigh like nine hundred pounds. I haven't picked you up since you got wings and I almost dropped you like five times."
Silver raised an eyebrow, unbelieving. "I mean I don't doubt that I slept in Gabriel's bed. I've done that before. But I should have felt you move me."
Miki shook her head. "Nope. And I smelled your breath and Gabriel's and that's how I figured out what had happened. And Vi found the wine glasses but Ben ran away without telling her." She turned to Cage, waving the vacuum hose. "Silver turned the noise off. Isn't this awesome?" she ran the hose up and down the corner of the wall to eat up the spiderwebs.
"I only had like a teaspoon." Silver said. "I don't remember feeling weird or tired or anything. But I also don't remember going to bed so…." she shrugged and ate another waffle bite out of the air.
Cage purses his lips, watching the vacuum but talking to Silver. “Do you remember Gabriel biting Kiss? That was my favorite part.” He giggles.
Silver squinted at him. "You're 'favorite part'? What is wrong with you? No, I don't– Oh wait! Yeah, I do. And you were standing up there on the balcony, right?"
He nods enthusiastically, turning to look at Silver. “Yeah! I didn’t see him bite her, you just told me.”
Silver rolled her eyes. "You weirdo. Yes, he bit her and she got super upset because he was acting really strange and feral and he bit her hard. And he has freakin' fangs so it hurt."
Cage gasps. “Omg I didn’t even think about his fangs. Is she okay??” He scoots a little closer to Silver.
"I don't know. I think so. She was fine enough to tackle me to the floor and give me a bloody nose." she paused, horror dawning over her face. "KISSA. Violet, did you see what happened to Kissa??"
Violet peeks down from the attic. “Hmm? What was that Silver?”
Cage bites his lip. “She is inclined to physically hurting people, sorry.”
Silver scrambled off the couch. "Where did Kissa go?? I didn't see what happened to her and I think I threw her into a wall. Is she okay??"