After I finish taking a quick shower, my sisters and I gather around the dining table. A delicious looking cheesecake sits between us.
"So?" Bianca says, raising an eyebrow at me. "You gonna tell us why you were being all weird today?"
I sigh, running a hand through my damp hair. There's no point in hiding it, they'd just keep asking, and honestly, talking about it might help. Maybe.
Selene, meanwhile, seems perfectly content just feeding me cake. She's already got another forkful ready, guiding it toward my mouth with this concentrated look on her face.
I open my mouth and let her feed me. The taste is amazing, rich and sweet, with that perfect tangy cream cheese flavor.. But also, man, I've been eating way too much cake lately. We need to find another way to cheer people up in this family, or I'm going to start fattening up again. All this hard work undone by the power of emotional support desserts.
"It really wasn't anything serious," I say after swallowing. "I just... had a nightmare."
Bianca's eyebrow stays raised, clearly waiting for more.
I sigh. "It was really vivid. Lots of... weird stuff was happening." That's one way to describe cosmic horror featuring a blood-soaked demon deer and a city-destroying monster. "But the ending messed with me the most. I saw something bad happen to you guys. It felt too real."
The playful atmosphere shifts. Selene's smile falters, and she sets down her fork.
"I see," Bianca says quietly.
"Aww, Adam!" Selene launches herself at me from the right, wrapping me in a tight hug that nearly knocks me out of my chair. "Nothing will happen to us! You don't have to be so worried!"
Bianca reaches across the table and grabs my hand. Her grip is firm and warm. "Yeah, dork. It was just a stupid dream."
"You know what?" Selene pulls back, her face lighting up with sudden inspiration. "We should all sleep in your room tonight! We'll protect you from bad dreams!"
I blink. "Wait, what?"
The rest of the night goes by in a pleasant blur. I get fed a few more bites of cake before I manage to escape back to my room to work on my side project for a bit.
I can hear my sisters speaking with Luna on Discord in the background while I try to focus on my work. It's actually kind of nice, having that ambient noise of them chatting and laughing.
At some point, I hear the front door open downstairs.
"I'm home!" Mom's voice drifts up the stairs, warm and familiar.
I save my work and head out of my room.
We end up sitting at the kitchen table, and I give her the abbreviated version of the nightmare.
"Dreams can feel so very real sometimes," she says when I finish, reaching across to squeeze my hand. "But that's all they are, honey. Just dreams. We're all here. We're all safe and sound."
I nod, because what else can I say? Actually, Mom, I'm pretty sure this was some kind of prophetic vision about an eldritch apocalypse? Yeah, that'll go over well.
Finally, when we all decide to turn in for the night, my mom and sisters barge into my room.
"Are you serious right now?" I ask as Selene barrels through my door with approximately a hundred pillows.
"Family sleepover!" she announces cheerfully, dumping the pillows on my bed.
Bianca follows with blankets. "Move over, dork. You're sleeping in the middle"
Mom brings up the rear, shaking her head but smiling. "Your sisters were very insistent, sweetie."
My bed is not designed for four people. This is going to be a logistical nightmare. But somehow, we make it work. Mom's underneath me, Selene's plastered to my right, Bianca's on my left, everyone tangled together in a mess of limbs.
My night is mercifully free from any nightmares.
The next day, I'm working another shift at the Midnight Café.
It's been peaceful so far. There's a moderate number of customers, and nobody's being overly troublesome. I'm in that comfortable work rhythm, clearing tables, delivering orders, making small talk when needed.
At about two in the afternoon, I'm standing toward the back of the café when the door chimes.
I start making my way to the front to greet the new customers, and—
Yikes.
"Adam! Hi!" Selene waves at me, her smile absolutely radiant.
"Holy shit." Bianca's looking me up and down with that mischievous glint in her teal eyes. "You look pretty cute in that outfit, dork."
"Aw, sweetie! You're working so hard!" Mom says, beaming at me with maternal pride.
Well. It looks like my family has decided to finally pay me a visit at work.
...This is embarrassing.
I can feel heat creeping up my neck, but I force myself to stay professional.
"Hey, guys." I greet them with what I hope is a professional smile and not the grimace of someone dying inside. "Do you have a reservation?"
Selene giggles. "Nope! We're doing a surprise visit!"
I can't help the wide smile that breaks across my face. Her enthusiasm is infectious, even when I'm trying to maintain some semblance of workplace decorum. "That's quite alright. Please, follow me this way." I grab menus and lead them to a window seat, one of the nicer spots in the café, with good natural lighting and a view of the street.
"Oh my, look at him being all professional!" Selene whispers behind me, not nearly as quietly as she probably thinks.
"I know, right? He's doing really well," Mom says warmly.
"Think we can get free food?" Bianca asks. There's a beat of silence. "What? I'm just asking."
I bite back a laugh as we reach their table. "Here you go." I gesture to the seats, placing menus in front of each spot. "Take your time looking over everything. I'll grab you some water."
"Thank you, Adam!" Selene beams. "You're doing amazing!"
I bow slightly, before heading off to get a pitcher of water and glasses.
When I return, they're all studying their menus. I place glasses in front of each of them and start filling them.
"Hey, dork. Got a question," Bianca says with a mischievous grin, waving me over.
Uh oh. I know that look. That's her "I'm about to make you suffer" look.
Still, I maintain my professionalism and move closer. "How can I help?"
She points at something on the menu. I lean in to have a closer look.
That's when Bianca leans up slightly, her lips right next to my ear. "I think there's a mistake on the menu," she whispers, her voice dropping into that low, teasing purr. "I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find you on it. And you look really fucking delicious in that outfit."
Oh, she wants to play?
I don't know where this comes from, maybe the professional persona I've been maintaining is helping, but I manage to keep my composure. I find myself whispering back without missing a beat.
"I'm working. Save the flirting for home." I pause, then decide to go for it. "Besides, if we're putting tasty things on the menu, you'd definitely be on there before me. But I don't think we have you in stock."
I pull back and give her a wink.
Bianca's eyes go wide. Her mouth opens slightly, and then, is she blushing? She bites her lip, her cheeks definitely turning pink.
"What the fuck," she whispers, clearly not expecting me to turn it around on her like that.
Hah! Victory is mine! I win the teasing battle today, Bianca!
Ding! Your Charm has increased by 1
Sweet!
"Hey! Stop whispering!" Selene leans forward with an exaggerated pout. "We're ready to order!"
I straighten up, smoothing down my vest and trying not to look too pleased with myself. "My apologies. What can I get you?"
"Can we get the high tea set?" Mom asks, her green eyes sparkling with amusement. "The girls have been telling me how beautiful it looks."
"Of course. The high tea set for three." I smile back at her, collecting their menus. "I'll have that out for you shortly."
I head to the kitchen to place their order, and when I'm back out in the dining room, Mr. Vale is suddenly beside me.
He's looking toward my family's table with that knowing expression of his. "Your family?"
I nod, unable to keep the smile off my face. "Yeah. Guess they wanted to see how I'm doing."
He chuckles lightly, the sound warm and approving. "You are handling yourself admirably," he says. "You've acted very professionally, even under pressure."
The compliment makes me smile. "Thank you, Mr. Vale."
I busy myself with other tables until the high tea set is ready. Selene gasps when I bring it out: three tiers of sandwiches, scones, and desserts on beautiful china.
"Oh my god! It's so pretty!" She immediately pulls out her phone and starts taking pictures from different angles.
I see Mom's eyes light up as she takes in the presentation. "Oh, this really is lovely."
Bianca stays suspiciously quiet, still looking at the food I delivered. I'm pretty sure she's still processing getting out-flirted earlier. Good. She deserves it after all the times she's made me flustered.
"Okay! Family picture time!" Selene suddenly announces.
Before I can protest, Mr. Vale appears beside me. The man moves like a ghost. I've been training with him all this time, and he still manages to surprise me sometimes. "Allow me to assist," he offers graciously.
Well. I guess this is happening now.
Selene hands her phone over to Mr. Vale with an excited smile, and I step behind Mom's chair.
"Alright," Mr. Vale says when we're all positioned, holding up the phone with practiced ease. "Three, two, one, cheese."
Click.
"Thank you so much!" Selene says brightly when Mr. Vale returns the phone.
We all crowd around to look at it. It's... actually really cute. The four of us gathered around the table, the elaborate high tea set in the center, everyone smiling.
"Alright, I need to get back to work," I tell them, even though part of me wants to just sit down and join them. "Enjoy."
I return to my usual routine, attending to other customers, making sure the café runs smoothly. At one point, I catch Mom trying to pay for their meal, but I've already taken care of it. When she realizes, she gives me this look that's half exasperated, half proud, and mouths "thank you, sweetheart."
Eventually, they finish their high tea and prepare to leave, waving goodbye at me.
They head out of the café looking ecstatic, Selene still scrolling through the photos she took, and I can't stop smiling as I watch them go.