December 19th - 1:11pm
"I guess you'll talk to more?" Roman questioned his boyfriend while changing into more comfortable clothes. While he didn't want to look like a slob, playing with the kids in skinny jeans and a shirt wasn't exactly ideal, which was why now he was wearing jogging bottoms, his top half still bare as he rummaged for a simple top he might've used for pyjamas.
"Yeah" Virgil agreed, earlier explaining to Roman he and Gabriel talked, which led to him bonding with his parents. "I'll go to Oliver, I haven't spoken to him in awhile" he added, glancing over at his boyfriend from his phone, admiring his toned back for a few minutes.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea" Roman twirled to face him, a soft red top in his hands. Ready to pull it over his head, the door suddenly opened and Harper stepped in, eyes homing in on Roman as if knowing he was half naked. Her eyes narrowed a bit before she turned to Virgil who had wide eyes, glancing between his sister and his boyfriend, but Roman just smirked in amusement.
"If you want to leave gran is downstairs watching television - you know how sucked in she gets with her cooking shows" Harper informed, taking one more look at Roman before she left, closing the door after her. The two men stared at each other for a moment before a voice alerted their attention.
"Gabriel! I owe you five pounds! The American does have abs!"
This made the pair burst into laughter, Roman instinctively placing a hand on his stomach, wriggling suggestive eyebrows at Virgil who rolled his eyes and threw a pillow at his boyfriend. "I told you we're not having sex here" Virgil told him pointedly, rolling his eyes again when Roman whined and huffed, begrudgingly putting on his top.
They went their separate ways once they shared a brief kiss, Roman returning to the basement, Virgil wondering the hallways until he found Oliver sitting in the play room (the room filled toys for teens and kids alike) on the couch, in his hands he held a toy car Virgil remembered to be his favourite when they were younger.
"Hey, Ol" Virgil grabbed his attention, the boy tilted his head back and smiled timidly, sitting up straight and waving. "Hey, Virge...what brings you here?" Oliver prompted, rising from the couch and putting away the car.
"I wanted to talk, come with me" Virgil nudged his head in the direction and Oliver had no quarrels about following, walking by his side all the way up the stairs and into Oliver's room. As the minutes went by, he was becoming more excited, he and Virgil hadn't talked in awhile and he adored their conversations all those years ago.
Sitting opposite each other in the single bed, Virgil leaned on the wall behind him, a soft quirk on his lips. "Tell me what life was like once I left" Virgil asked for, remembering vividly how much Oliver liked to talk. As soon as the words came past of Virgil's lips, Oliver sat straighter, eyes bright and lips beaming.
"Gran said you'd be back for Christmas when you first left, but when you didn't everyone realised you were serious..." Oliver's expression suddenly saddened, "our grandparents didn't really care...they said.." he hesitated, not wanting to make Virgil feel bad, "they said it might be better without you" he quietly murmured, relaxing when Virgil chuckled.
"Predictable"
"Yeah, they were mean. Anyway! In the new year Aria refused to talk to the family for awhile, that was until Camila finally had a talk - the two along with their husbands tried to find you, contact you, but they couldn't find you. Little did they know you were in America" that surprised Virgil a tad, he didn't realise some tried to find him so quickly.
"Life carried on for awhile, Gabriel went quiet when he finally understood the situation, I don't think he was ever the same after you left. He missed you, a lot, I did too - we all did, Virgil" well, he didn't realise this story would make him feel guilty! But he remembered what Elizabeth told him a few days ago and relaxed, he needed to leave for his sake, for the sake of his family and his mental health.
"Harper helped him, though, which is why they're so close to this day!" He grinned, "Mia was born, and...Elizabeth tried to wait, she waited as much as she could, hoping you'd come back. She wanted you there but it came to a point where she couldn't wait any longer - she had Mia with William and they went back home. That Christmas wasn't the same, everyone knew it was because of themselves, what they did to you, what some of us didn't do, the elders were annoyed everyone was so sad, but I guess it was a good sort of revenge" he managed a slight smile, but he didn't keep it up as now Virgil was frowning, leaning forward.
"Then three years later Aria had Henry and Riley, they were cute babies, that year's Christmas was probably the worse. Once Aria and Aiden didn't let the elders anywhere near their kids, arguments broke out and it actually ended in a physical fight between Aiden and Alexander, they quickly left for home after that, along with Elizabeth, William and Mia because neither wanted their child to have a ruined Christmas, everyone else stuck around but it was very awkward" Oliver paused for a moment, finding it kinda funny he had Virgil's utmost attention.
"A year later Olivia had Izzy, she was sweet too! I heard Olivia and Michael were hesitant to come for Christmas but they did anyway-"
"Wait, Izzy?" Virgil cut him off and Oliver's eyes saddened, realisation breaking his heart a little. "Oh, Izzy, she...Olivia had a daughter but she wasn't well, I wasn't told much other than she was really ill, unfortunately she lost her battle at age three" Virgil's eyes dropped to the bed under him as silence settled in the room, he didn't know why this struck him so hard, he guessed because he didn't really think what his family's lives were like when he left - he didn't even imagine the possibility of someone dying, apart from the elders, but his sisters daughter? He didn't even get a chance to meet her..
Lifting up his hand, he wiped away a single tear from his cheek and quietly asked for Oliver to continue.
He hesitated, but did so. "That Christmas was nice, everyone behaved, Aria and Aiden came but their kids were kept under a close eye. They always are, but not enough for their lives to be ruined, they just have protective parents. I think it worsened when Izzy passed away, but the year Izzy was born Alexander died, not everyone attended his funeral, my parents didn't but allowed me to if I wanted"
Virgil looked up at him, silently asking. Oliver shook his head.
"The next year Camila and Samuel has Sebastian, and Christmas was filled with small kiddies, it was funny to watch them and I would often be put on baby duty while the older members talked. I don't really know what of, just boring adult stuff" he chuckled, then his lips pulled into a frown.
"I think the year Izzy died everyone's hearts changed. Olivia pointed out to everyone her daughter never got to meet one of her uncles because of them, she felt ashamed to be apart of such a family, and everyone else did, too. Victoria, Charlotte and James scoffed at the notion but everyone was changing, actually...we all went to a pride parade one year, it was fun, no one said it but we all wanted to see you" Oliver began picking at the bedding under him, letting out a sigh.
"Years passed, James passed away too, the same as Alexander with the funeral attendants, more friends than family - with the kids ageing up and the elders passing away, we all wanted you back but we didn't know how to get to you - on the ninth year Victoria died and it was just Charlotte left. Then, earlier this month Olivia searched through her old bedroom, found your number, texted and you replied...everyone was so excited but nervous, then you came and it was better than we all expected. Apart from Charlotte, but yeah...you're here, and we missed you, a lot" Oliver finished, shuffling closer towards his cousin until he was close enough to hug him, and that was exactly what he did.
"Sorry for rambling" Oliver murmured sheepishly once they pulled back. Virgil lifted his head and grinned at him, "nah, I asked for it...we're cool?"
Oliver grinned back, "we're cool"
After dinner, Virgil and Roman ate in their bedroom while watching YouTube on Virgil's phone, anything than sitting downstairs in the near vicinity of Charlotte. He's avoided her this much, and he hoped to carry it on the rest of the holidays. It was later in the evening when Virgil finally left Roman's side, the man tuckered out from spending so much time around the kids who were all getting ready for bed, anyway.
He padded down the hallway, silently opening Olivia's bedroom door to see her sitting at her desk, writing down jokes for her comedy tour she was doing in the new year. Quietly, Virgil walked up behind her, but made enough noise so she knew someone was there.
Pulling up a chair beside her, he plopped down, reading over a few of the jokes before a smirk drew at his face.
"So, what's the deal with aeroplane food?" He joked, Olivia giggling lightly under her breath before putting down her pencil and looking over at her brother. "You'd be surprised how many people laugh at that when I'm on stage" she winked, looking back down at the paper, a few stacked to the side alongside it.
"Today, my son asked "Can I have a book mark?" and I burst into tears" Olivia gave him a deadpan look, waiting for the stupid punchline. "Eleven years old and he still doesn't know my name is Brian" she couldn't help it, she giggled even more, playfully glaring at her brother who chuckled along with her.
"My wife is really mad at the fact that I have no sense of direction. So I packed up my stuff and right" it took her a moment, but when she got it she held her face in her hands and laughed, Virgil enjoyed entertaining her so he carried on listing off corny dad joked until her face was red and tears were in her eyes.
"A slice of apple pie is $2.50 in Jamaica and $3.00 in the Bahamas. These are the pie rates of the Caribbean" as he said this, he quirked his eyebrows and Olivia finally had enough, swatting her brother while giggling immeasurably. "Okay, okay! You're funny, I get it" she wiped at her eyes and sighed out, regaining her composure and smiling at her brother who grinned right back.
It didn't last long, however, before Olivia was frowning and reaching over to hold Virgil's hand. "I'm sorry for being a terrible sister" she murmured quietly, Virgil offered a half smile, squeezing her hand. "You were terrible, but hey, now you can be cool. Just don't eat me in the woods, yeah?" And the two were laughing again, the atmosphere around them reminiscent of what it was in the past - before Virgil came out, when they were all a happy family.
"Alright, jog off, I really need to focus" Olivia smile and Virgil nodded, going to stand up but he paused, staring at his sister. "I'm sorry" he murmured, voice suddenly low and sincere. Olivia rose an eyebrow in confusion, watching him for a moment, her body stiffening with realisation.
"She would've liked you" she murmured quietly and Virgil frowned, staring at the ground for a moment. "Yeah...anyway, good luck with the jokes, don't steal any of mine now" he spoke playfully, and while Olivia managed a smile and a light chuckle, Virgil could tell there was hidden sadness behind it.
Before leaving, they shared a short but loving hug, Virgil giving her a last glance over his shoulder before he left the room and closed the door. On the way down the hallway he sent a smile to Michael who smiled back.
He checked in on Roman, who was sleeping peacefully, before walking down the stairs and into the basement, moving quietly as all the kids were asleep apart from Gabriel and Harper who laid on their respective beds on their phones. Heading to Gabe's bed, he kicked his brother to the side, ignoring his grunt of disapproval to lay on the bed and face Harper who smirked in amusement.
"I will kill you" Gabriel grumbled, but instead he sat up and leaned on his brothers body. Virgil allowed him to do so, throwing his arm over Gabe's shoulders.
"So, you two have a plan for Charlotte?"
Instantly, evil grins appeared on both of their faces. "She has a shower every other day, so we'll make sure she has a great experience tomorrow morning" Harper spoke mischievously, "then breakfast? We told ma we'll be cooking, it'll be great for everyone expect a certain someone" Gabriel winked and Virgil laughed quietly, weary of the children across the room.
"As per usual as soon as she gets here she has the television, but what would happen if it suddenly stopped working?" Harper continued, "and, of course, the radiator in her room suddenly stops heating up, I wonder why?" Gabriel smirked evilly and Virgil stared at his younger siblings in pride.
"I can't wait to hear her annoyed yells" Virgil sighed out in content, Harper and Gabriel giggled in delight. "She deserves it - she got away with what she did for too long" Gabriel commented and Virgil smiled tight-lipped up at him, "Karma will kick her ass, don't worry" Virgil finally shoved Gabriel away and stood up, stretching his body while Gabriel groaned and Harper laughed.
"Fuck, go back to America already" Gabriel commented from where his face pressed into his pillow. Virgil snorted and kicked his brother playfully, dodging away from his retaliation afterwards.
"Stop fighting like cats and dogs" Harper told them and they both settled down, shooting each other grins. "Go to sleep, losers" Virgil called as he headed towards the bedroom. "It's not even ten!" Gabriel called back, Virgil quickly picking up and throwing a Teddy Bear at his face.
"Shh, children sleeping!" He whispered with a grin, running up the stairs and through the door before he could be hit back. Smiling, he closed the door and entered his bedroom, watching Roman snuggle under the blankets.
Against his belief at the start of this month, he's actually having a lot of fun over here.