Dad's repeatedly yelling our names until the three of us are sitting around the kitchen table, in front of our parents.

"No, you don't get my allowance to have a divorce," Minho says.

"We're not divorcing," Mom assures.

"Neither do you get my allowance to move away," I say.

"We won't move away, either."

"Then what's going on?" Finn leans back in his chair. I think after discovering two of the worst things haven't happened, all three of us have gotten some kind of relief.

"We all know about my job and the things I sometimes have to deal with," Mom starts slowly. "And there's been this boy. There's a lot to his past that I won't immediately share, but I've been his therapist for many years. Along with that, he's also been in a mental institution for many years, yet we haven't noticed a single difference in his health."

Minho shifts in his seat, an act of nervousness for him. A bit nervous myself, I wait for Mom to continue. The way she's speaking just betrays that she's going to say something big.

"So me and my colleagues figured that maybe if we make him live a normal life— going to school, living in a proper house with others, things like that, he might get better. It's too sad watching him in the institution, not recovering at all."

Minho's eyebrows start to scrunch. "What does that have to do with us?"

"Your father agreed with me and my colleagues," she says. "We're temporarily taking him into our house. He'll go to school with Vi and Minho, try to follow along with sports—"

"You're adopting someone?"

Mom lets go of a breath. "No, Minho. We are temporarily taking him into our house," she repeats. "I don't know if that means a few weeks or months, but we've made a decision."

"—that I won't engage in," he says. "I'm sorry, all my respect goes to people who struggle with their mental health, but I don't want a random person I don't know in my house."

"It's not your house. You're not paying for it, are you?" Dad interferes.

Ignoring them both, Mom continues, "He's eighteen, almost nineteen. Since we don't have an extra room, we figured he can sleep in Minho's room. It's your choice whether you stay there or share a room with Vi or Finn."

"That's ridiculous," he bites out.

I think I'm with Minho for once.

I'm fine with helping someone like that and I'm fine with taking them in our house for a while, but I don't think it's fair we will have to share our personal space with a stranger, involuntarily. Or share a bedroom with our siblings, which barely fits.

"That's our choice," Mom corrects. "It's just for a little while."

"You just said months," Minho snaps, his jaw clenched. "I'm not doing that. I won't share my room with someone and they're especially not going to sleep in my bed."

"We have an air mattress to lie down next to your bed."

"No," he says. "I won't agree to that." Helpless, his eyes go to us.

"I agree," I say.

Minho's mouth falls open.

"With Minho," I add quickly. "...not with that boy sleeping in his room."

His mouth closes again. He expression tells me a silent 'thank you'.

"As least try it for one night," Mom pleads.

"No," Minho says. "I don't care where he sleeps but it won't be in my room— why doesn't he go to Thomas's? He's an only child with the exact same house as us. Two rooms left!"

"Because I am his psychologist here." There's a slight raise in Mom's voice. At that, I realize we're gonna be sitting here for quite a while.

Unless Finn would freaking speak.

I elbow him in the side to attract his attention. He looks up, seeming dozed off for a second, then he clears his throat. "Uhm... I don't know."

Wow.

"I say he goes in Finn's room. He won't mind."

"I will," Finn says.

"Why?"

I mentally groan. Minho doesn't sound like he's over yesterday's event between him and Finn.

"Because I need my privacy as much as you do."

"I don't think so. You're twenty, I'm seventeen."

...I don't understand boys' math.

"That doesn't make any sense."

Oh, neither does Finn, apparently.

Minho's gaze hardens by the second. "For what do you even need privacy?"

"For what do you need privacy? As you're such a sad seventeen-year-old," Finn mimics.

"I need to study, do homework—"

Yeah, he needs to, but he doesn't.

"—meet up with my friends, and a comfortable night of sleep without someone I don't even know next to me!" He says. "And I don't trust anyone I don't know. Do you want to know how long it took to tell Newt and Thomas about the simplest things?"

"I don't care," Finn says. "Fine, he's not sleeping in your room, but neither is he going to sleep in mine."

Okay, so I guess there was a silent agreement that he's definitely not going to sleep in my room.

"Why? You need to sneak girls in? Or—"

"Minho, Finn," Dad calls. "Stop it. It's no use."

Minho's so shocked that he just jumps up from his chair. "What's that supposed to mean? That we have no choice? Because then I'll be permanently locking myself up so he won't ever get inside, trust me."

And then he has vanished upstairs.

"Why don't y'all give up your room?" I ask. "We clearly don't want to."

Mom and Dad share a 'this went different than we expected it to' glance before turning back to Finn and I.

"We wouldn't have a place to sleep."

"Exactly," I say. "We have no space in this house so it's not a good idea. Make him stay somewhere else."

"He's a really sweet boy, Vi. He's not annoying or anything. Trust me—"

"I'll believe all of that. I would've been fine with him in our house had it not been for the exact thing we've been discussing this whole time."

I know I'm right, they know I'm right, we all know I'm right.

"We'll see," Mom says. With that, the conversation comes to an ending.

What do I do after drama like this?

Open my phone and start explaining the whole thing.

STEPHANIUSIBUSIUSYPUSSY

That's crazy

Ikr
Like, I'm fine with that boy here but no one's gonna offer their room to him for who knows how long

Crazy

Can you say something else

Insane

You're not helping

I don't know what to say!! Not like my words will help with this whole situation
You think he's nice?

Mom said he is

What mental health issues is he struggling with?

Gotta ask
She says schizophrenia, self-harm, and depression ?! And "there's some other details" ???

Oh damn
Imagine someone else rotting in your bed the whole winter
That would be weird
And really bad for you because YOU want to do that

Once again, you're not helping

Yes I am
I'm making you laugh

Wyd btw

Literally nothing atm
Did you survive this Monday

No
First school, then the crazy news
You ?

Had my first practice today

IK
How did it go?

Good
Do you think the team colors look good on me

What kind of question is that ??

A normal one! I'm just asking

It looks fine Thomas

Do *I* look fine or the colors??

Both
Happy now 

Yup
Also
Did you steal my shampoo when u were showering at mine

I can easily tell you Teresa did that

Why

Because girlfriends like things that remind them of their boyfriends.
Seriously, use your brain

Damn, sorry for hurting your feelings
Monday has always been your favorite day, hasn't it?

Shut up

Anyway do you have those chips at home

Those chips as in the bolognese ones?

Obviously
Do you have em?

Yeah

Then I'll be right there to take them away.

A minute later, I hear the door click open. Thomas's must've stolen Indie's key to steal his weekly bag of chips.

The groceries are done every Sunday in this household, and for the past months, Dad's been questioning where the hell that bag of bolognese chips goes.

"Hi," Thomas greets. He walks over to the cupboard next to our coach and takes the bag of chips, stuffing it in the backpack I'm convinced he has just for this action.

"Hi. Hand me the paprika ones?"

He throws the bag at me. It lands in my face. He starts laughing, of course, and I groan, not embarrassed in front of him at all, but annoyed because he knows damn well why I said handing the chips.

It's the little things like that. Laughing at each other and not being embarrassed.

"Hi, Thomas," Dad walks into the room, unbothered by his presence. After many years, he's used to Thomas just randomly appearing. It has been less since he got a girlfriend though, so Dad seems more satisfied than usually when Thomas finally shows up.

"Hi," he greets back, plopping down on the couch next to me. "An episode of Friends?"

When I nod, I know this will turn into a whole night of Friends episodes, as always.

'One more', either of us keeps saying, until we're so tired that we fall asleep buried in the empty bags of chips and candy.

Even on Monday nights.

☯︎︎

A/n: What do we think, are chapters with these lengths alright, or too short? I'll obviously do some longer ones here and there but in general..??

Who's with Minho on the room sharing thing, by the way? I probably am.

Enjoy the rest of ur dayyy!! x