"God, dad, it's not like I did anything so just leave me alone!" Dani cried and tried to run away.
"Get back here now, young lady. I'm not done with you," Vlad said sternly.
Mikhail slithered out of the kitchen with a sundae in hand and a smirk on his face. At thirteen years old, he lived for the chaos.
"What did she do now?" Mikhail prodded. "Is Dani in trouble, dad?"
Danny shot him a warning glance. "Mikkie, not now. Go to your room."
"Aw, can't you just let me watch," Mikhail whined, giving Dani a smug grin that made her want to commit unholy violence. "I want to see her get busted!"
"Shut up, butt-munch!"
"Screw you, turd-face!"
"Enough." Vlad's voice was filled with a mixture of anger and disappointment that only dads could muster. "Mikhail Dominik Masters-"
The boy flinched at the use of his full name. This wasn't good.
"-unless you want to be grounded, I suggest you go to your room. Now." Vlad's tone offered no negotiations.
"Wha-But I didn't do anything!" Mikhail tried to argue.
"One week."
"Dani's the screw-up!"
"Two weeks," Vlad frowned. "Don't test me, young man."
Danny pointed towards the stairs with a look. "Do you want to make it three weeks?" What is it with kids and not getting the memo?
Knowing better than to argue, Mikhail cried out in frustration and stomped off to his room. Dani snickered quietly to herself, reveling in the sweet revenge.
Vlad pinned her with a stern look that immediately made her nervous. "Explain. What were you doing in a club with your friends who had no business bringing you there?"
"It was a Valentine's day dance and I wanted to go, okay?!"
"You're underage, Danielle," Danny frowned. "And so are your friends. You shouldn't even be there."
"Yeah, okay, whatever," Dani spluttered. "But I didn't do anything bad there, I just danced!"
"You just danced," Vlad repeated in disbelief. "Do you think we can't smell the cheap vodka coming off of you?"
"What if we couldn't come get you tonight? What would you have done?" Danny lectured, raising his voice a little. "Would you have gotten behind the wheel? Or would you have walked home in the dark all by yourself?"
"No, I'm not stupid, okay? I-It was just two shots!" Dani lied. "And I don't know why this is such a big deal. You and dad drink all the time!"
Vlad's anger felt like lightning striking the earth. "Your father and I are over twenty-one! When we drink, we drink responsibly. So, when you are ready to do what we do, then you can get your butt out of the house and get a job!" He roared at the poor girl.
Dani stood frozen in the middle of the living room, her eyes watering with fresh tears. Never had her dad ever yelled at her like that, and his anger shook her to her core. A sniffle was heard, then two, and then Dani was crying.
Danny softened first and walked towards his daughter to give her a hug. "Vlad, please-"
Vlad rounded on his husband. "I'm sorry, is my authority as a parent being questioned here?" He seethed.
"Would I do that to you?" Danny asked calmly. "You're scaring her and I need you to calm down."
Seeing his daughter in tears finally snapped Vlad out of it, and the anger left as quickly as it came. Vlad sighed deeply, feeling a headache forming around his temples. However, he possessed the moral high ground as a parent and he wasn't about to let that go.
"Your father and I were worried about you tonight. That was a foolish thing you did," Vlad started, his demeanor much calmer.
Dani hiccupped and nodded.
"As relieved as we are to have you back in one piece, you're grounded, Danielle," Vlad said firmly.
"U-Until when," Dani asked.
"Until I say so."
Her eyes widened in horror. "But Jade's birthday party is this weekend-"
"No."
"But it's her sweet sixteen!"
"Seeing as how she was also a fellow culprit tonight, I highly doubt the party is happening," Vlad said. "In any case, the answer is no. You're staying at home and that's final."
"I hate you!"
The words rung out as clear as a bell. Dani ran off to her room, sobbing and angry, leaving her shocked parents behind in her wake.
Vlad looked heartbroken. Never had his princess ever said something like that to him. He sat down numbly on the armchair, his confidence in himself weakening. Perhaps he was a bit too harsh. Maybe he was being unfair in preventing her from going-
"Vlad, she doesn't mean it." Danny walked over and put an arm around his shoulder. "You have to know she doesn't mean it."
"One can never be so sure," Vlad muttered and closed his hands into fists to stop the slight tremors.
"Of course, I'm sure," Danny laughed. "You're tough on her for the right reasons. She may hate it now, but one day, she'll thank you for it."
"Will she?"
"Yes, because she loves you." Danny kissed him on his forehead. "We all do."
"Keep flattering me, and we may find ourselves very busy later tonight," Vlad joked with a weak smile.
"Well, it is Valentine's."
The next morning, Danny got a call from Jade's parents saying that the birthday party was officially cancelled. Jade was in serious trouble and needed the time to reflect on her mistakes, her mom had said before hanging up.
Dani was upstairs in her bedroom sulking over the news, with no laptop or phone to vent out her frustrations. Mikhail was pouting in the living room, his video games confiscated. All in all, it was a sullen morning in their house.
"It's just a phase. They'll get over it soon," Danny said confidently, sipping his morning coffee.
Vlad begged to differ. "When." He grunted from behind his morning newspaper. His hair was a mess and he resorted to wearing his glasses this morning. Still hot, Danny thought to himself.
"Oh, let them have their teenage angst. Just remember, more love is good, Vlad. More love."
Vlad scoffed, lowering the paper to reveal his face. "You say that but I think we've hit our quota. One more and they'll outnumber us, Daniel."
"Just the right amount of love then."
"Indeed."