"Is this fine?"
Soren's voice came from beside her.
He was pointing at yet another bed.
Amelia stared at it for a moment, then looked up at him with a blank expression.
They had been walking around the furniture district for almost twenty minutes now, and he had asked the same question at least ten times.
Big, small, soft, firm, wooden frame, metal frame.
He had thought seriously about all of them.
She was tired.
"Just get a big one," she said finally, deadpan.
Soren blinked, then laughed awkwardly.
"Sorry, sorry. I just… you know, we're going to be using it for a while. It kind of matters."
"You're going to sleep on it, not marry it," Amelia replied.
"Whatever, but I still think we should get two."
"Why?" she asked, genuinely confused.
"I said it earlier, right? I'm planning on staying at the clubroom a lot, and to be honest, I'd rather not share a bed with most of the members."
He said it so casually that Amelia had to stop and think.
"Hmm…"
It wasn't a bad point.
"Makes sense, right?" he added.
"Am I part of that?" Amelia asked with a tilt of her head.
Soren looked at her.
"Part of what?"
"People you don't want to share with," she clarified.
He shrugged.
"You're fine," he said simply. "Same with Lilly. I just don't want to share with people like Olivia, Felix, Lev or Alex."
"..."
If he had stopped talking after "You're fine," Amelia might have smiled.
Her chest had twitched very faintly at those two words.
But he kept going.
Saying Lilliana's name right after.
For some reason, that annoyed her.
She couldn't explain why.
Amelia stepped closer without thinking and closed the distance between them.
She tilted her head slightly, then rested her chin on his shoulder, letting her breath brush his ear.
"Hurry up and decide," she said quietly.
Her tone was as flat as always, but she knew exactly what she was doing.
She felt it.
The slight shiver that ran through his body.
The way his shoulders tensed for a second before he forced them to relax.
He really was weak to her voice when she was this close.
Amelia smirked to herself.
She didn't understand why, but when it came to Soren, she liked doing things like this: small pranks, little pokes at his reactions, watching the way he flustered.
He was easy to tease, and she enjoyed it.
Soren reached up, put a hand on her head, and pushed her gently away.
"I've already decided," he muttered. "Let's go."
His expression was calm, his voice steady, but his ears were red.
"Heh."
Amelia couldn't help the quiet laugh that slipped out.
'Cute.'
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
In the end, Soren bought two large beds and two mattresses.
He let the shopkeeper finish the paperwork, then stored everything in his inventory with a flick of his hand.
With a familiar ripple formed above his ring, the bulky frames disappeared one by one as if they had never existed.
"Okay," he said, dusting his hands off. "That's the beds sorted."
"Finally," Amelia replied.
He ignored her comment and turned toward the next row of furniture.
"Ren, do you think this would work?"
Lilliana's voice came from the other side.
She was standing in front of a tall wooden bookshelf, running her hand along the edge.
Soren walked over and stood beside her, looking it up and down.
It was a simple design, prioritising sturdiness over intricate decorations.
He tilted his head left, then right, as if changing the angle would help him come to a decision.
Amelia watched him.
"Hmm…" he murmured. "If we get two of them and put them side by side in the living room, we can line them up along the wall. I think it'd look good."
Lilliana's eyes brightened.
"Great, I'll go buy them then."
"I'll come with you. I need to store them anyway," Soren replied.
"Ah, right."
They walked off together toward the counter.
Amelia stayed where she was, watching them.
She watched Lilliana stand a little closer to him than necessary, eyes shining as she talked about shelf positions and book order.
Watched Soren listen seriously, answering with small nods, not noticing the way Lilliana's expression softened whenever he said her name.
Amelia's brow furrowed slightly.
It wasn't a conscious action.
It just happened.
She exhaled silently and followed them, her footsteps quiet.
When she reached the counter, Soren was finishing the payment, sliding a small pouch over.
Lilliana was leaning slightly toward him, her shoulder almost brushing his arm.
Amelia narrowed her eyes.
She stepped up behind Soren, suppressed her presence as much as she could, and raised a finger.
Then she poked his cheek.
"Boo," she said in a monotone voice, right next to his ear.
Soren flinched.
He turned his head, cheek still squished slightly where she had poked him, and looked at her with an annoyed expression.
"Was there any need?"
Amelia shrugged.
"It looked fun," she admitted honestly.
Soren squinted at her.
"Do it again, and I'll ditch you."
"As if," she replied. "You like me too much."
He rolled his eyes, but he didn't deny it.
A small smile tugged at her lips at that.
Amelia's gaze slid sideways.
Lilliana was staring at her with a complicated expression.
For some reason, that made Amelia's smile widen.
Something in her chest felt… lighter.
Like a competition had started, even though nobody had said a word.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
'Is she doing it on purpose?'
Lilliana asked herself that question as she watched Amelia poke Soren's cheek and lean close as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
It wasn't as if Amelia being near Soren was unusual.
The wolf beastkin had always been glued to his side.
From the first semester to now, she had seen them walking together, training together, and sometimes even sleeping together.
There were already rumours about their relationship.
Old ones and new ones both.
Lilliana knew most of those rumours were wrong.
But even so, today felt different.
From the way Amelia stepped into his space, to how she seemed to time her words just right to fluster him, to the subtle looks she gave Lilliana afterwards…
It was like she was checking her reaction.
Like she was provoking her.
It made Lilliana feel as if she was being challenged.
She didn't like that.
She also didn't like the part of herself that responded to it.
"Ren, let's look at those now," she said, tugging lightly at the hem of his cloak.
The gesture was small, but deliberate.
He glanced down at her hand, then up at her face.
"Sure, which ones?"
"Those wardrobes," she replied, pointing to a row of dressers and closets further down the aisle.
He let himself be pulled along.
Amelia followed at a short distance.
As Soren inspected the wardrobes, checking the interior space and testing the drawers, Lilliana let out a quiet sigh.
'This is stupid,' she thought.
Or rather…
'I'm stupid.'
The moment she tugged at his cloak and pulled him away, she knew she was acting strangely.
Like she was trying to drag his attention back toward herself.
She hated it.
It wasn't like her.
She had never been the type to compete over something like this.
She just wanted to enjoy their shopping trip.
She wanted to pick out furniture that they would use for years to come.
She wanted to imagine where everything would go in the clubroom.
She wanted to cook for them later and watch them eat it with relaxed faces.
She wanted to spend time with Soren.
That was all.
'...Right. That's all.'
Then why had she tugged him away like that?
Why had she felt the need to interrupt?
Why had Amelia's small actions made her react?
Even Amelia was looking at her with raised eyebrows, like she had caught onto something Lilliana herself was only now starting to see.
Fortunately, Soren didn't seem to notice any of it.
He just continued checking the furniture, occasionally asking, "What do you think about this one?" in his usual tone.
Lilliana forced a calm smile and answered each time.
Her heart wasn't calm.
'This is really stupid,' she told herself again.
She knew Amelia didn't think of Soren "like that."
She knew Soren didn't think of Amelia that way either.
And besides, even if they did, they were both adults; they would work it out.
So why was she getting swept up?
'And besides… would it even matter if she did like him?'
Lilliana came from Einhardt.
In Einhardt, polyamory was common.
It was normal for strong beastkin, those with high status, ability, or charm, to have multiple partners.
It wasn't always about politics.
Sometimes it was just about bonds and packs and the way beastkin hearts worked.
In that culture, being able to attract many partners was a sign of strength.
Not everyone lived that way.
Not everyone wanted that.
But many did.
So if Amelia liked him too…
If Soren liked more than one person in the future…
Would that really be a "problem"?
'Then again, Ren's human…'
Fialova, Soren's kingdom, was mostly monogamous.
There were political marriages involving multiple spouses, sure, but those were usually cold arrangements made for territory and titles, not for affection.
The way people there thought about "love" was different.
Even beyond that, there were the people themselves involved.
It wasn't just about culture.
It was about what each person wanted.
What would Soren want?
She didn't know.
'Ugh, what am I even thinking about?' she thought, pressing her lips together. 'I already decided I wasn't going to say anything.'
She had decided that.
Firmly.
She had decided that, for now, their relationship was good as it was.
She had decided that pushing for more when he was still healing would be selfish.
She had decided that being by his side as his friend, as his support, as his annoying professor who nagged him, was enough.
At least for now.
So why was she thinking about things like this?
Lilliana shook her head lightly as if to scatter the thoughts.
She looked at Soren again.
He was crouched low in front of a dresser, opening and closing the bottom drawer to check if it stuck.
His hair fell forward slightly, covering part of his face; he was focused, utterly unaware of the way her thoughts were spiralling.
'Still…' she thought, the corners of her mouth twitching faintly. 'It would be nice to have him to myself.'
Just because one grew up in a polyamorous culture didn't mean they wanted to share.
Who wouldn't like the idea of monopolising the affection of the person they loved?
The image came to her suddenly, Soren sitting alone on a sofa, looking only at her, smiling only at her, relying only on her.
It was a ridiculous thought.
But it warmed her all the same.
A dumb smile crept onto her face before she could stop it.
She only snapped out of it when she heard his voice.
"Lilly?"
She straightened up.
"Ah–! Is something wrong, Ren?"
"You were just spacing out. I was asking if there was anything else you wanted, or if that was all."
"I'm fine," Lilliana responded quickly, her usual composed smile sliding back into place. "The bookshelf and coffee machine are enough for me."
"Then let's go get something to eat before we go back, alright? Amelia's hungry."
"I don't mind cooking," Lilliana added automatically.
Her first instinct was always to offer that.
To make something warm and simple and give it to him in a quiet room.
Soren shook his head.
"It's late, and we don't even know when Alex and Olivia will be back with the groceries."
"True," Lilliana conceded.
"Let's go then," he said, smiling. "I'll treat you both."
Her heart thumped once.
"Okay," she replied softly.
————「❤︎」————