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He bites his lip, laying his head in the floor. “Okay.” He stares up at the ceiling. “I guess if Ben can get married, I can.”
Gabriel’s eyes widen and he swallows, feeling her excitement spike.
Geez, she’s a bomb.
He settles down again, giving her a faint smile as he examines the back. “Wow. He really went over and beyond for you, didn’t he?”
"See? Exactly. If Ben can do it then anyone can."
Silver nodded. "I was so blown away. It's so gorgeous and it fits and it's so cozy." She drew her hair over her shoulder and started combing the knots out with her fingers. "I'm never gonna take it off." She said, laughing and wrinkling her nose.
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Cage giggles. “That is a horrible saying. Ben could burn your heart out, just your heart. I don’t think I can do that.”
He feels the hemming of the slits up the back. “In my home, all of our shirts were either backless or had slits like this. You would have liked the dresses, I think.” He pauses, moving his fingers to her feathers to gently stroke them. “Do you like dresses?” His scratchy voice is quiet and the wind around them picks up, whistling and catching up his hair.
"What? You don't think you could burn my heart out or you don't think you could get married?" Miki asked.
Silver rested her head on his shoulder again. "I don't know. Maybe. I can't remember if I've ever worn a dress. I can't imagine it would be very easy to fly in them. I do prefer backless clothes though. Every time I get new shirts the first thing I have to do is cut the back out and put buttons or a tie at the bottom. I'm surprised how comfortable these wing slits are."
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Oh.
He’s quiet for a moment, still stroking her wing.
I guess I wouldn’t know if they’re comfortable. I’ve never worn one.
The last rays of the sun disappear behind treetops and hills, and the temperature drop as the stars begin to brighten.
He leans his cheek on her head.
“Is this bad?” He quietly whispers.
Cage stands up, straightening his shirt. “Burning hearts out obviously.” He smiles and offers his hand to Miki to help her up.
Silver's eyes flew open and she had to forcibly keep herself from moving and starting him. "What? Being out here? Of course not, there's nothing–" she paused, realizing he might have meant something else. "Do you mean being out here or… us? This?" She slowly reached out to his other hand, weaving her fingers through his.
Miki took his hand and climbed to her feet. "Right. Cuz you'd just freeze my heart out instead. Does Robby like cake? We need to make something sweet. Vi, can I make a cake for Robby?"
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Us??
He doesn’t bother to take his hand away, and kind of just stares off into the night, brow furrowed.
“Us… being out here. I know nobody can see us, but would Ben…” his voice trails off, fading into thought.
Ben doesn’t really like me even touching her so that answers it.
“Why is Ben so protective of you?”
Violet pulls the pot off of the stove, setting it on a hot pad on the island. “Oh, sure! Would you like help with that or-“ her phone starts to ring and she picks it up from the counter, pressing it to her ear. “Benjamin?” She walks out to the back porch.
Cage sighs, “we're on our own.”
Silver sighed, deep and heavy, and didn't answer for a while.
"I think… I think Ben is scared. Of losing us. He's been through so much, even before getting captured and all. He finally has a home and a family and people he loves. I don't think he always knows how to show his love so he ends up seeming overprotective and controlling. I think he doesn't want anything to change. And when he sees us together all he can see is the potential for change and he doesn't like it." She squeezed his hand. "Ben loves us, Gabriel. He really does. He just has strange ways of expressing it."
"I DO know how to make cake." Miki said, marching into the kitchen and getting a mixing bowl out. "Because cake is essential to life. And if Ben is dead we'll definitely need it."
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Cage holds in a giggle. “Miki, I’m actually worried about him.” His smile says otherwise.
Blinking, he listens, hearing the words but not really understanding most of the concept.
“You aren’t actually related, right? You’re just related to Miki.”
Sometimes it’s hard to remember.
"Sorry," Miki gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm worried about him too. Ben is super important. He can't die." she got out flour and sugar and other ingredients.
"No, we're not. So," she held up two fingers. "Cage and Ben are for real related blood brothers. Miki and I are for real relate blood sisters. And you and Kissa are for real related brother and sister. And now Violet is married to Ben. That's all the 'real' relations there are, but together we're a big family." she explained.
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Gabriel nods, “oh. Alright.”
An icy breeze picks up and the sky is finally black enough that the only light is the stars and the moon.
He sighs.
And to think, two years ago I was ready to rat them out. Have them all brought back in.
Gabriel, you’re terrible. Why would you have considered that?
He inhales the cold air and presses his cheek down onto her head.
“Do you… d-do you think we’re safe? From each other?” His voice gets quieter and fades near the end.
Cage pulls some eggs from the fridge and sets a bowl on the counter. “If anyth-“
The doorbell rings and he freezes, turning to look at Miki with wide eyes. “Robby.” He whispers.
Silver frowned, trying to process his words. She couldn't have heard him correctly. "From each other? What do you mean, Gabe? Of course we are." As loathe as she was to move, she slowly tipped her head back just enough to look up at his face. "Gabriel, what's wrong?" she whispered, gazing into his beautiful purple eyes, barely visible in the darkness.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH" Miki let out a shriek, abandoning her cake making and tearing across the house toward the door. "ROBBY'S HERE GUUUUUUUUUUUYS."
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He swallows, looking down to his hands. “Never mind.” He mumbles quietly.
Dont bother her with that.
Leave her be.
An owl hoots above them, and the wind whistles around them.
Of course we’re not safe.
Cage watches Miki, horrified. “You know she can hear you!?” He whispers loudly. “Okay how do I look??” He whispers again.
Kissa suddenly appears beside him. “Like trash. Cause that’s what you are.”
He smiles. “Thanks Kiss. You’re good at lightening the mood.” He heads to the door, biting his lip.
"Gabriel." Silver sat up to better look at him. "Gabriel, are you afraid you're going to hurt me?" Her voice was gentle, not condemning or fearful, just gently prodding to try and pry him open.
Miki scoffed at Kissa. "RUDE, he looks fine! Don't tell him he's trash! I'm the only trash in this house!" And with that she threw the door open and yelled "ROOOOBBYYYYYYYY!!!!"
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Robin doesn’t flinch- she doesn’t even bat an eye. Her blonde hair is down and she has a small green beret on and a knee length red coat with buttons up the middle. Her socks almost meet the end of her coat and she wears small black shoes. She gives Miki a smile, showing her teeth. “Hello!” She greets quietly, pulling a hand from her pocket to give a small wave.
Cage shoves Miki’s face. “Geez, what did I say about volume?” He laughs. He turns to Robby and they exchange a rosy cheeked smiles. He pulls the door opens wider. “Come on in, Robby! Vi will be in soon and-“ He looks over Kissa, “- oh yeah. This is Kissa. She’s a vampire.”
Kissa hisses.
Gabriel doesn’t answer. He avoids eyes contact, looking off to the side of the tree at the forest ground.
He takes his arm from around her and sets his hands in his lap.
What if I did…?
Miki stumbled to the side, barely even noticing Cage's shove. She pressed her hands to her cheeks and let out a silence squeak. "Cage, you didn't tell me she was this adorable!!!"
Silver's face fell and she deflated a little, disappointed at him pulling away and avoiding her. With a sigh she sat up, no longer leaning into him. "Gabriel, I–" she pushed her hair behind her ear, but she didn't know what she wanted to say.
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“You what?” He asks quietly, “you trust me?” He meets her eyes, looking on the verge of tears. His cheeks and nose are red from the cold wind and his lips are dark and chapped.
Don't. I’m not worth trusting.
Robin gives Miki a smile, not really knowing how to respond to the compliment. She turns back to Kissa who glares. She puts out her hand. “I’m Robin, nice to meet you.”
Kissa shakes her hand. “Hm. Pleasure.”
She ran her hands through her hair, exasperated. "Yes, Gabriel! Of course I do! Gabriel, I love you! I don't care what you've done or what you think you are or anything. I will always love you and trust you."
"Where did Cage find you??" Miki squeaked, her voice almost gone. "I didn't know humans came as cute as you are."
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Look, now you’ve got her worked up.
He gives an unconvincing nod.
“I’m sorry.” He whispers.
Im sorry I don’t trust myself.
Robin gives a small chuckle. She unbuttons her coat and Cage takes it from her, hanging it up. She looks around with her eyes, still standing in one place. “Wow,” her eyebrows raise in awe, “Ben got a really nice place for you all!”
Cage smiles. “Right!? Oh, speaking of Ben, he might not be here tonight. Not by choice, he just might not be able to make it.”
She gives Cage a small nod. “Of course. I hope he does make it though. You two are always fun to be around.”
Stirs the soup. “We gonna eat??”
She looked at him, watching his face. "I just wish you liked yourself a little bit better, Gabe." She said, her voice quiet now. "You're not an awful person."
"Do you like cake? We're having cake too. But I have to finish making it." Miki returned to the kitchen and started working on her cake again.
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Robby turns her attention to Miki. “Oh yes, I love cake. I can help make it.”
Cages eyes widen and he gasps. “Yes! Make some cake with us! And I’ll set the ice cream out to thaw!” He opens the freezer and pulls out the ice cream tubs, setting them on the counter. “They’ll take a while because I froze them solid.”
Robby blinks, looking over the ice cream. “You made these?”
”You’re not an awful person”
Gabriel wipes his face.
Stupid tears.
He presses his forehead against hers, holding his breath, biting his lip and closing his eyes tightly.
"Gabriel," she breathed, barely a whisper, as she lifted her hands, gently cupping his face. Her fingers stroked his hair and with her thumbs she brushed the tears off his cheeks. Her own eyes filled, mirroring his. "You're not." she repeated, her voice shaking, throat closing up. "You're a beautiful amazing person who is very, very special to me."
"Yes, he did!" Miki cried, radiating excitement. "We made them yesterday! They're all disgusting except for the donut one." she haphazardly dumped ingredients in the bowl, not even using measuring cups.
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Cage beams, taking an apron from the drawer and tying it around Robin. “You’ll love em, I’m sure!”
She gives him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Of course I will!”
She turns and looks over Miki’s shoulder. “Are we not measuring?”
He rubs his forehead against hers gently and just a little.
I’m not sure.
“Why?” He whispers.
Miki shrugged. "Ehhh, I just eyeball it. I know what it's supposed to look like. See? That's like… about a teaspoon. Or close enough." she said as she poured vanilla into the bowl straight from the bottle.
Silver pressed her lips together, silent for a moment. "Gabriel, I don't love you because you're a good person or because you deserve it. You don't need to earn my love, or anyone else's. You don't need to be 'good enough'. I just love you. You're… I never had any family before, aside from Miki." Tears slipped down her cheeks and her voice trembled, from her own emotions now more than his. "And now I have you and Ben and Vi and everyone else and… even Kissa is family. I don't care what you are or were. You're my family. And you…" she sniffed, removing one of her hands to wipe her nose. "You're even more special than all of them because I love them to death but I've never loved anyone the way I love you. I… I would do anything for you, Gabriel."
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Robby gives a small nod, despite not understanding at all. “Aaah, okay.” She turns, finding the drawer with wooden spoons, and pulls one out.
Kissa stares in disgust. “Eck, it’s gonna be as gross as your ice cream.”
Why me?
Are you sure?
He wraps his arms around her, locking his hands behind her back and under her wings.
I don’t deserve you. Any of you.
"You wanna put these away for me? I'm done with all of those." Miki said, waving toward the ingredients she'd already used. She finally finished putting everything in the bowl and helped herself to a wooden spoon from the bowl Robby had pulled out, mixing it all up.
Silver closed her eyes, taking a deep, slow breath. His touch made her want to melt into him and never come back to herself. "I just wish I could make you like yourself." she whispered. "I would do anything for you but I can't make you like yourself and it hurts."
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Robby nods, and Cage picks up a few, showing her the cabinets. “How have you been lately?”
She smiles, sliding the flour into its cabinet. “Great. The library finally hired me, so I can have the schedule I need with school.”
Kissa flops onto the couch. “Boring.” She mumbles.
You can’t fix it. I’m sorry.
“I’m sorry.” He whispers again, though it’s quiet enough it’s hard to hear.
His cheeks turn a deep red and he touches his nose to hers.
"Ooooohhhhh, you work at the library??" Miki asked, grabbing a cake pan and greasing it. "You just keep getting awesomer and awesomer."
"Stop," she whispered again, stroking his hair. "Please, Gabriel, stop apologizing for everything. It's okay." His entire aura was surrounding her, smothering her, and she never wanted to come up for air.
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“Yes! I just got hired, act-“
The back door opens and Violet walks in. Her teeth clenched in worry, she shoves her phone into her pocket and takes a deep breath, closing the door behind her.
Cage, Kissa and Robin pause, staring.
But- But theres
Oh shut up already, Gabriel.
His chest heaves as he tries to even out his breaths.
You'll startle her!
Dang right I will.
He presses his lips against hers, slowly, the freezing wind catching up his hair.
Miki spun around, spoon in hand, and stared at Violet. Awkward silence screamed for a few seconds before she swallowed and handed her spoon to Cage, approaching Vi. "Hey," she said gently. "What's going on?"
Silver gasped, her eyes flying open for a moment before slamming shut again. Her grip on him tightened and she froze, afraid to scare him into realizing what he was doing.
