>A piercing ray of life-giving sunlight forces you from your dreams as you throw a hand over your eyes.
>”Mhmmm...”
>The warm weight on your right arm falls aside as you sit up in bed, wiping the crust from your vision.
>You look over to see Sonata’s adorable scowl as she snatches your arm up again and tries to pull you back down.
“C’mon, Sonata,” you drawl, prying your limb free from her and throwing your legs over the side of the bed.
>”But it’s coooold!” she whines, scooting on her side to press herself back into you.
>You laugh and stand up, turning around and pulling the girl up by one arm.
>She stubbornly follows you, taking your comforter and throwing it around her like a shawl, her bare legs quivering.
“You’re cute when you’re mad, you know?” you tease.
>Unexpectedly, she smiles and blushes, opening up her cotton chrysalis to hug you.
>”Good morning, Uncle Anon.”
>You can’t help but beam with pride as you return the embrace.
>You could really get used to hearing that.
>A few seconds of silence pass before the both of you are startled by a sharp knocking on your bedroom door.
>You open the door and stumble backwards as the other sisters burst into the room, Adagio tackling you to the ground with a ferocity you thought impossible from such a spindly frame.
>You hear Aria muttering something to Sonata over the youngest girl’s protests.
>But most of your attention is focused on the near-feral snarl Adagio’s giving you, not unlike a den mother whose cub has been killed.
“Get off of me!” You shout as you press one palm into the eldest’s stomach and push her off with ease.
>No sooner than you begin to stand she immediately scrabbles over to Sonata, her slender shoulders squared up to match her grimace.
>”Adi, what the hell?” Sonata snaps.
>”I knew it! I knew you were the same, you son of a bitch!” Adagio screams, pointing one finger at you.
“What are you talking about?” you reply.
>”Sis, this isn’t what it-“
>”What I’m talking about is you bringing my sister into your bed right after she put her trust in you!” Adagio said. “After all the water she carried for you last night, you turned right around-“
>”ADAGIO!”
>The room becomes deadly quiet for a few short seconds, Aria tucking herself against the closet door.
>”Anon let me sleep in here so you and Aria could have some space,” Sonata continued in her normal voice. “I was the one who suggested it.”
>Her words do little to alleviate Adagio’s incensed glare at you.
>”Sonata, if you’re lying to me because you don’t want to make him mad-“
>”Would you quit it already?” Sonata cut her off. “I’m clothed, he’s clothed, and we don’t smell awful, so why are you still acting like he’s the bad guy?”
>Adagio’s mouth opened and closed a few times as she failed to find words, before settling into a curt snarl.
>”...sis, you can’t just assume you know what happened,” Sonata replies. “And you don’t have to scared anymore, remember? He’s family.”
>A moment of shock seems to overpower Adagio for a moment, and your own shoulder unconsciously loosen as she slumps to the floor.
>”You can’t scare me like this, Sonata,” she croaks out. “We always wake up together.”
>”I should’ve told you, sis,” Sonata said as she knelt down. “And I’m sorry for that.”
>Sonata gives Adagio a small smile of reassurance as she pulls her sister up into a hug.
>”We’re not going anywhere.”
“...So, breakfast?”
>Your awkward interruption manages to crack the glare Adagio gives you into an amused smirk.
>Walking over to Aria, your lightening mood crashes again at her clutched expression, eyelids smashed tightly against each other.
“Aria?” you whisper, gently tapping her on the shoulder.
>She convulses at the contact, whimpering and flattening her back against the wall.
>You decide right then and there that that call to Hyun you promised needs to happen.
“...Aria, it’s Anon. Can you look at me?”
>You swear to God you can hear her heart pounding in her chest as she lets one eye open, her ragged ventilating slowing and smoothing as her sisters each take one hand.
>”I’m sorry for yelling, Aria,” Adagio croons as the middle sister’s shoulders uncoil at her touch.
“...I’ll get the food started,” you near-incoherently mutter as you back out of the room.
>Adagio seems like she has it covered.
 
—-
 
“And, voila!” you proudly announce as you set a steaming hot plate in front of each of your nieces.
>Adagio rolls her eyes as she keeps the same uneasy glare she’s had on you for most of her time in your home.
>You really hope that the bedroom incident isn’t going to be a recurring thing.
>The other two are already poking at the stack of pancakes before them with their forks.
>”Uncle Anon? Isn’t there normally syrup served with these?” Sonata pipes up.
“These don’t need it, trust me,” you laugh.
>All three of them shrug and pop a forkful of breakfast in their mouths.
>All at once, you hear three surprised, muffled moans of pleasure as the sisters close their eyes, savoring your cooking.
>You giggle over the sound of curled toes popping under the table and dig in yourself.
>So much easier to just use vanilla in the batter.
>As the glare on Adagio's face fades after breakfast, you excuse yourself and walk back to your bedroom.
>Three taps on a touchscreen later, and Hyun's voice comes through your cellphone receiver.
>"I was beginning to think I'd have to physically come over," she quips.
"Hyun, you know I love sass at 8:30 in the morning, but I'm not in the mood."
>"And I'm not in the mood to have a powwow with my neighbor over parenting issues, but I didn't put you on voicemail, did I?"
"Hyun, please, I've already been assaulted verbally by one woman younger than me today. I don't need another tongue-thrashing."
>She sighs into your ear, and you swear you can hear her eyes rolling.
>"Alright. How are each of them doing?"
"Adagio's been the most aggressive out of all of them," you reply. "She's uptight about most things and usually glares or gives some sort of worried look whenever I'm around the others."
>"Go on."
"She... attacked me this morning when she found out one of the others slept with me last night-"
>"Hold up."
>You gulp at the sound of her voice dropping and sharpening.
>"You slept with one of them?"
"Sonata. She's the only one who seems to trust me, and even then, she might just be trying to put on a face to avoid upsetting me."
>"And I assume that this was actual sleeping?"
"Yes, Mother Superior."
>You giggle at her exasperated sigh.
>"So what happened?"
"She knocked me to the ground, I pushed her off. She accused me of the... other kind of sleeping, and Sonata managed to calm her down somewhat."
>"Somewhat?"
"The whole thing kinda blew over when Aria clammed up over the yelling."
>"...oh no."
>That doesn't sound good.
>"So you're on Sonata's good side?"
"Yeah. She's the only one who calls me uncle, and isn't afraid to approach me or ask for something."
>"You have no idea how lucky you are that she's opening up to you this quickly."
"What do you mean?" you reply.
>"Oh right, you haven't got the chance to get the CoI release processed, have you?"
"No. I was hoping you could expedite that," you mutter, leaning back against your dresser.
>Confidentiality of Information, or, in layman's terms, everything pertaining to exactly what your sister did to your nieces.
>"Swing by today - I've got a light load on my plate right now. We'll get it sorted out."
"...Thanks, Hyun," you breathe, releasing chest muscles you didn't know were taut.
>"No problem."
>The click in your ears times perfectly with Sonata stepping into the doorway of your bedroom.
>"Uncle Anon?"
"Hmm?"
>"We're, uh... not full after breakfast," she sheepishly says.
>Jesus Christ, teenagers are ravenous.
"I'll get us something to top us off when we head out today. For now, you three take turns in the shower and get dressed. We've got places to be today," you reply with a ruffle of her bedhead.
---