Quirks to work on and accept.

“By the way, love. You have the editing software installed on your PC, right?” Grace asked me, referring to the software to view and edit the 3D map of the house.

“Ah, yes. It’s there.”

“Mind if I continue working here?”

“No, go ahead.”

Grace sat down at my desk and turned on my PC. Mila stood behind her and leaned on her shoulders. “So? How’s it looking?” she asked excitedly.

“Better. I’ve been importing models and adding the furniture we want, or at least the most similar I can find. Paints and panelings are easier to find, thankfully. There are still some empty rooms we have no use for, though, so I haven’t touched them.”

“We don’t need to fill them yet, do we?” I asked. “We can keep a few empty rooms until we actually have a use for them.”

“Yes, but a bit of foresight wouldn’t hurt,” Sarah said.

“I don’t really have any ideas for those rooms, though,” I admitted. “It already has more than we’d need.”

“True,” Mila said. “I mean, who really needs a library?”

“I do, shut up,” Grace told her without looking away from the screen.

“Remember, Mila, Grace is a spoiled princess,” Sarah teased.

“Says the girl living in what’s practically a spa resort,” Grace shot back, again without looking away from the screen.

“Can’t lie, it’s pretty neat,” Sarah admitted.

“Say… Do you think we’ll fight more when we’re living together?” Mila asked.

“Oh, I’m definitely fighting with you,” Grace answered.

“Yep, Same here,” Sarah said.

“W-Wait, me!?” Mila asked, shocked. “What did I do?”

“The issue is what you WILL do,” Sarah said. “I swear we need to beat some bad habits out of you.”

“I swear, Mila, if there are any panties, socks or shirts left anywhere but in your room…” Grace said.

“Not just her room! We’re gonna share bathrooms. If you leave clothes or towels on the floor, I WILL strangle you,” Sarah told her.

“H-Hey, I’m not THAT messy…”

“Oh yeah?” Sarah turned to me. “Babe, you have her mom’s number, don’t you? Text her and ask her to send you a picture of her bedroom.”

“W-Wait, no!”

I grabbed my phone, looked up Mrs. Aliev’s number and texted her just that. She sent back a laughing emoji before sending the picture a minute later.

“...” I looked at Mila with a sad, disappointed grimace. “Mila…”

Her bed was unmade, there was a bra hanging from her desk chair, pants were on the floor and a glass with leftover juice was on her nightstand.

“I… I…” Mila’s face was red as a beet. “Ugh! You guys suck!”

“Well, it’s not like we won’t have problems with Grace in that regard, either,” Sarah said. “She’s not as bad as Mila, but she’s too used to her maid cleaning everything for her.”

Grace flinched. “...I’ll pull my weight,” she assured us.

“You better. It’s a huge house.” The blonde turned to me. “We’ll need to schedule weekly cleaning.”

I nodded. “We can do one or two rooms each week.”

“Alright then, Ms. Perfect,” Mila began, “We better not have problems with your midnight trips to the kitchen and stealing snacks that aren’t yours.”

Sarah audibly gasped. “When have I ever…!?” Grace turned away from the screen to stare directly at Sarah along with Mila, neither of them saying another word. “Okay, maybe it has happened once or twice, but…”

“Midnight snacking?” I asked, shocked at what I had just heard.

“Even I have moments of weakness, okay!?” Sarah pouted with arms crossed.

Grace spun and turned the chair around as she let out a sigh. “You know, the one I’m most worried about sharing a house with is Alice.”

“What? Alice? Why?” I asked.

“She’s the type to do everything that needs to be done as soon as possible. No breaks, no delays. She does it to have free time after, but I’m worried she’ll drag us into her pace…”

“...I don’t know, that sounds right up my alley,” I told her.

“Of course it does. You somehow defy common sense and are compatible with all of us,” Grace said.

“I like to believe I’m good at adapting.”

“Relax, Grace, you and Alice always get everything done and she knows that. You’ll find common ground,” Mila said.

“I hope that’s true…”

“If this is what we’re talking about, then what do you think Noelle’s quirk is?” Sarah asked.

“I think we won’t see her a whole lot,” I said. “She’ll either spend her free time in her room or in the game room. Then again, I’ll probably spend mine in the game room or the music room.”

“Speaking of, are we going to have problems with you playing music all day?” Grace asked. “Don’t get me wrong, I like listening to you play, but if we’re studying or doing something else…”

“The music room will be on the third floor and is going to be sound-proof,” I told her. “If that is still a problem, then…”

“Okay, no, let’s stop there…” Grace said, grimacing. “I don’t think putting you in a position to make you choose between us and music will turn out well for any of us.”

She was right. The thought of having to make that decision hurt me more than a knife to the chest, and actually having to make that decision would nearly kill me. The worst part of it was that… I think I know what my answer would be.

Ugh, those are nasty thoughts. Made me shiver and not from feeling cold.

“Okay, but how long do you give Diana before she decides to move in with us?” Mila asked.

“Maria gives her a month,” I said. “But I already extended the invitation, and other than restating that, I’m not saying another word. I’m not going to push her.”

“I want to say I’d really be surprised if it takes her more than a month to make up her mind, but leaving the house her dad left her would be a difficult choice,” Grace said. “I think we shouldn’t push her, either.”

“Fine, I’ll keep quiet about it…” Mila said.

“And just in case… We do have extra rooms, right?” Sarah asked.

“For guests? Yeah, of course,” I told her.

“Not for guests, exactly,” Sarah clarified. “Babe, you started dating six girls in less than a year. I don’t believe for a second you won’t eventually find another.”

“Pretty much,” Grace agreed. “The world is big enough.”

“And you already have your eyes on someone, don’t you?” Mila teased.

“...” I sighed heavily. “We’ll see. I can’t predict the future and I’m happy enough as it is.”

Sarah shook her head and kissed my forehead. “Even after all the times we’ve told you we’re fine with it…”

“Let him be. I appreciate how seriously he takes it,” Grace said.

Not like it was a topic I’d ever take lightly.

We spent the rest of the day together, but the girls left me space to rest. As I took many short naps, I was happy to know the girls were there. I imagined I’d feel something similar when we lived together.

Patreon.