Jihyo loved her best friends. Jihyo loved her girlfriends. Theoretically, spending time with all four of them should be wonderful. And it was! In many ways.

But it also tested her patience a lot. And that was solely due to her two best friends, who, when they found out about the “Jihyo has two girlfriends now.” situation, did their responsible duty as childhood buddies turned lifelong friends, and poked fun at her every chance they got.

“So how’s it going? The whole polyamory thing?”

Jihyo calmly took a sip of her tea, ignoring Nayeon’s teasing smirk from across the table.

“It’s been a week.” she replied. “A good one.”

Beside her, Sana grinned happily. And to the right, Mina smiled. Jeongyeon however, just scoffed.

“A good one? That’s all you have to say? How did you even manage to confess to them? ‘ Hey I like you both, kind of. Don’t make a thing about it.’ ”

“Actually she was very sweet.” Mina’s smile was slightly mischievous now, and Jihyo sank down into her chair, cheeks already turning red. “She gave a big long speech about how much she loved both of us, and how she didn’t want to complicate things but she felt she needed to express those feelings to save the bond between us all. It was very thoughtful.”

Nayeon and Jeongyeon let out a synchronized “Awwwww!”, and Jihyo took a long gulp of her drink to hide her blush.

“The funniest part was how Mina and I knew for months how we felt about the whole thing.” Sana laughed, nudging Jihyo lightly. “We spent so long worrying about how Jihyo would take it if we told her, and then she just comes up to us all teary eyed and admits to having a crush on both of us.”

“Adorable.” Jeongyeon smirked, and had it not been for the table between them Jihyo would have kicked her off her chair. “Amazing what some liquid courage will do.”

“Like how it can cause you to make a fool of yourself at an award show?”

“That was the most entertaining award show we ever went to because of me and you know it.”

“Oh yeah, having to pull the mic out of your hand every time you got a hold of it was really how I wanted to spend my evening.”

“Judge me all you want but I stand by what I said. There should have been an award for shoulder of the year and Mina should have gotten it. I know she’s your girlfriend now but I must still speak my truth.”

Nayeon, with her knack for sensing oncoming violence, quickly changed the subject before Jihyo actually stood up to knock Jeongyeon out of her chair.

“So things are going smoothly then? No real issues so far?”

“No issues.” Mina echoed softly.

“Honeymoon phase has its perks.” Jihyo agreed.

“I think our main problem so far has been finding a big enough bed for the three of us.” Sana sighed. “You know, something comfortable but with enough space for us to have fun.”

Nayeon promptly choked on her tea, and Jihyo sank further beneath the table.

“She means cuddling.” Mina hastily clarified.

Jeongyeon raised a skeptical eyebrow as she thumped Nayeon on the back. Sana just gave a coy shrug, one hand reaching out to pat Jihyo’s red hair which now matched her face.

“Well how has it been working out so far?” Nayeon asked, once she’d recovered from almost choking to death. “Sana stayed over at your place last night, right?”

“Yeah, we just watched that new Kristen Stewart movie Chaeyoung recommended and fell asleep on the couch together.” Sana smiled at the memory. “Woke up with a crick in my neck but it was worth it.”

“And what’s the plan for tonight? Jihyo’s bed is the biggest right?”

It hit Jihyo then that they hadn’t actually discussed sleeping together, in any form. It wasn’t unusual for Mina to slip into her bed at night to play video games together, and then to doze off snuggled up next to Jihyo. But the three of them deliberately choosing to fall asleep in the same bed wasn’t something that she’d thought about as an issue until Sana brought it up.

It made sense. Sana was the one who lived in a different apartment to Jihyo and Mina. Of course she’d be wondering about sleeping arrangements. But when she’d mentioned buying a bigger bed for the three of them yesterday, Jihyo had just thought it was a joke, another attempt to make Mina do her adorable flustered laugh. 

Now though… well Jihyo didn’t think it was a concern. Sana was too confident to be worried about something like that. A thought, maybe. A curiosity. That’s all it was. And Jihyo had the answer.

“We’ll be sleeping in my bed tonight.” she said. “Nayeon’s right, it’s the biggest. Plus I’m planning to redecorate soon anyway, and I can get an even bigger one then if we need it.”

“Our little interior designer.” Sana cooed. “Thank god one person in this relationship knows how to assemble furniture. Remember when Nayeon and I tried to put together that IKEA chest?”

“We were so serious about it.” Nayeon laughed at the memory. “Three hours screwing nails into the wood thinking we were the most competent adults around and then Momo walks in and asks us why it’s inside out.”

“Mina’s good at it too.” Jihyo smiled. “She just likes to let me feel useful since she’s already the best chef.”

“And if Mina is smart she’ll keep you well away from the kitchen.” Jeongyeon grinned at Jihyo’s angry pout. “Pour any salt into pancakes recently?”

“One time. It was one time.”

The conversation lulled for a moment as they all chuckled at Jihyo’s expense. She rolled her eyes but didn’t bother trying to defend herself. Last week she’d tried to help Mina with lunch and been given the role of frying the eggs, and while two of them had escaped relatively unscathed, the third one had to be scraped off the pan by Sana.

Jihyo had insisted on eating that one herself. Mina and Sana reassured her that the other two tasted lovely, but she caught them pouring extra salt on when they thought she wasn’t looking.

“So Jeongyeon.” The teasing glint was back in Nayeon’s eye. “I take it you’re staying over with me and Momo tonight?”

“I mean it’s either that, go all the way home to my parents, or sleep right next door to those three.” Jeongyeon wrinkled her nose. “And I don’t want to hear whatever plans Sana has in store for that bed tonight.”

“Hey!” Sana yelped, standing up. “You don’t get to judge me! Do you know how many times Nayeon and I have taken Boo out for midnight walks while you and Momo had your ‘traditional roommate sleepover’? ”

The gobsmacked look on Jeongyeon’s face caused another round of laughter. Jihyo sat back and sipped her tea as Jeongyeon loudly denied doing anything more than platonic cuddling in Sana’s apartment, and Sana just as loudly called her out with all the times she and Nayeon had accidentally overheard her with Momo. Nayeon grew more and more flustered with every detail Sana revealed, which made everything twice as entertaining for Jihyo.

A warm hand slipped into her own, and she glanced over to see Mina gazing at her with a shy smile. Jihyo mirrored her smile, squeezing Mina’s hand gently.

This was good. Yes, her friends were loud. Yes, her girlfriends ganged up with them to poke fun at her. And yes, four of their little group were missing, off with their parents or at schedules. But this was still good. Still family. Her confession hadn’t changed that, hadn’t altered the dynamic between the nine of them, hadn’t changed anything really, except that Mina held her hand a lot more, and Sana… Well actually Sana kissed her and Mina the same amount as before. They both just knew what she meant with her kisses now.

They would be ok.

---

Being ok did not stop the rising nervousness in Jihyo as the clock drew closer and closer to 1am. Nayeon and Jeongyeon had both left by this point, Nayeon for Chaeyoung’s place since Jeongyeon would be spending the night with Momo at their apartment. The remaining three girls had already changed into their sleepwear, and now they were just lounging around, waiting for Mina to finish her knitting for the night.

Jihyo idly wondered whether Sana would be more comfortable moving in with her and Mina, or if she really enjoyed living with Nayeon and Momo. But that was a question for another time, once they’d figured out how to share a bed together.

It shouldn’t be a big deal. Jihyo had walked in plenty of times to wake the kids up for school, only to find Dahyun and Tzuyu curled up asleep on either side of Chaeyoung. If they could do it, what was stopping her? True, their cuddling had been platonic, or at least mostly platonic. But still. It was the same principal.

Would it be ridiculous to ring Dahyun and Tzuyu right now for relationship advice? Probably, considering the topics she needed help with were ‘ How do we decide who goes in the middle’ and ‘Should I stay the big spoon for the whole night in case they suffocate me?’. And while Dahyun may try her best to give advice with only small hints of bafflement, Tzuyu would no doubt ask straight away why Jihyo was panicking so hard.

Which was a fair question. It wasn’t like she hadn’t cuddled with them before, even back when they weren’t a Thing. These kinds of anxieties had never plagued her then. Even now, nuzzled against Sana’s side watching Mina finish knitting a hat, it didn’t feel strange. It felt the opposite of strange, completely natural.

Sana ran a hand through Jihyo’s hair, keeping rhythm with the soft clacking of Mina’s knitting needles. It was soothing, lulling Jihyo further and further towards sleepiness. They’d fallen asleep last night curled up together on the sofa. Falling asleep in a bed shouldn’t be so different.

And yet it was, because it was a step in their relationship. Their week old relationship that was going really, really well, and Jihyo didn’t want this to ruin that.

She could almost hear Nayeon laughing at her, joking that she was so competitive she wanted to be the perfect cuddler.

Jihyo knew deep down that the best way to avoid ruining it was to relax, and just let it happen. It didn’t matter whether she was in the middle or the little spoon. It was just cuddling together, with two people she loved very much. It would be fine.

She still felt a twinge of nervousness when Mina finally put down her needles, her new hat for Dahyun almost complete. She tried to stand up causally, but she had a feeling it ended up looking like a soldier standing to attention. Sana giggled at her grim expression, nuzzling into her side. It helped a little.

(It helped a lot.)

“Bedtime?” Jihyo asked, trying for casual and coming out unnaturally squeaky.

“Bedtime.” Mina agreed, walking over to loop her hand under Jihyo’s free arm. Sana leant across to kiss Mina, and Jihyo made a disgruntled noise of protest, that cut off abruptly as they both turned and kissed her cheeks.

Her girlfriends were sneaky. Distracting her with kisses so she was too giddy to realise that they’d already reached the bedroom.

And there it was. Looming in front of her. The bed that suddenly seemed far smaller than king sized. Could that really fit three people?

“Jihyo.” Mina said gently. “I can practically hear you frowning. Relax.”

“I’m relaxed.” Jihyo lied. “I’m just… Who’s going to be in the middle?”

Sana and Mina shared a knowing look, although what exactly they were so knowledgeable about eluded Jihyo.

“You’re in the middle.” Sana replied.

“Because that way we both get to lie on your shoulders and you get to feel strong.”

“I am strong.”

“Believe us.” Mina didn’t bother to hide the way she eyed Jihyo’s arms. “We know.”

Jihyo looked at Sana’s deceptively innocent expression, then to Mina, who was still checking her out. 

“You’ve planned this.”

“We may have talked about it once or twice.” Sana grinned. “And we knew you’d probably be the most freaked out of the three of us.”

“So we decided to think ahead.” Mina added. “Make things easier for you.”

Jihyo wanted to protest that this was unnecessary, that they didn’t need to coddle her. But she was also very, very tired, and the thought of falling asleep without any anxiety about how her girlfriends were managing felt extremely enticing. She let them guide her over to the bed with only minimal grumbling, and then she flopped down, wriggling over to the middle.

Sana got in first, hooking her right arm around Jihyo’s torso so that she was cuddled into Jihyo’s side. Mina slipped in after that, and Jihyo raised her left arm so that Mina could snuggle in under it. With Mina’s head resting against her shoulder, Jihyo knew from experience that she would wake up with pins and needles in her arm at best, and a completely numb arm at worst.

She also knew from experience that it was absolutely worth it.

“Are you both-”

“We’re fine.” Sana’s voice was still tinged with amusement. “Go to sleep Jihyo.”

“We love you.” Mina pressed a kiss against her jaw, and well, that was just playing dirty. They both knew that was Jihyo’s weak spot.

She shut her eyes, telling herself that she wouldn’t rest until they were both fast asleep and comfortable. And then, less than a minute later, Jihyo fell asleep.

---

She wasn’t sure how long she slept before she woke up, although it wasn’t a fully awake state. Just dozing, feeling Sana’s hands brushing back and forth on her torso. At some point Jihyo must have her side, because now Mina was holding her. Her chin was tucked against Jihyo’s shoulder while Jihyo cuddled into her, and Sana’s fingers traced soft patterns against her skin as Jihyo slowly breathed in and out.

“She’s cute when she’s asleep.”

“She’s always cute.”

Sana hummed an agreement, and Jihyo let out a small mumble. A kiss to her forehead settled her back down.

“I’m glad she fell asleep quickly. Imagine how panicked she would have been if she remembered that she snored at night.”

If Jihyo was fully awake, she would have indeed been panicked by Sana’s words, and the thought that her snoring was keeping the two of them from falling asleep. But in her current dreamlike state, the words just flowed past her, as if she was listening to a podcast or some 3am radio talk show.

“I wish I understood why she was so nervous.” Mina’s voice was quiet, even for her. “It’s not like we’re going to be scared off just because her feet are cold or she wriggles around when she’s dreaming. We shared a dorm room for years, it’s all stuff we already knew.”

“True, but it’s different now.” Sana’s leg brushed against Jihyo’s as she nudged Mina with her toes. “Don’t you start worrying too. This is just Jihyo being Jihyo. She loves us, and she knows we love her. Today was just her day to carry the perfectionist braincell you two share.”

“You’re hilarious.” Mina deadpanned, and then she shifted, pressing slightly harder against Jihyo.

It took her a minute to realise they were kissing.

She was content to let it happen, right up until she felt their legs start to move. Then she let out a grumpy little gurgle, which stilled both of her girlfriends.

“Sorry baby.” Sana pressed another kiss to Jihyo’s forehead. “We got a little too carried away there huh?”

“Mmurph.” Jihyo agreed, refusing to break out of her semi unconscious state.

“Love you.” Mina pressed her own kiss to Jihyo’s shoulder.

“Mrove u hmmm.”

She thought she heard them whispering some more, but she was falling back asleep too quickly to make out most of it. Something about falling in love, and peaceful faces, and upping games. Nothing that sounded serious, just playful. 

With Sana’s fingers still tracing gentle circles against her skin, and Mina’s soft breathing right next to her like a soothing rhythm, Jihyo fell asleep for the night.

---

She woke up with drool on her face, and Sana staring at her adoringly.

“Morning sleepyhead.”

Jihyo squinted blearily, trying to figure out what had woken her up. Voices from the living room answered her question.

“Chaeyoung?”

“Wow. Not what I expected you to say.”

“You know what I mean.” Jihyo buried her head in her pillow to avoid Sana’s amusement. “She’s here isn’t she? I can hear her outside talking with Mina.”

“Momo and the kids came this morning, yeah. You were fast asleep and we didn’t want to wake you so we just let them take photos of you cuddling into me. That was very adorable, by the way. You were hugging me so tight I couldn’t get up.”

Jihyo let out a deep, deep sigh.

“There’s no way she’s still sleeping.” That was Momo, loud and clear despite the walls between the living room and the bedroom. “I need to yell at Sana before we go. Whatever she said last night made Jeongyeon cringe while we were making out. It took me half an hour to get her back in the mood.”

Hearing that made Jihyo feel a little better. Or at least, less embarrassed at herself. She could always count on Jeongyeon and Momo to help with that.

“Well, I can’t relate, last night was the best.” Chaeyoung sounded giddy, but in a way Jihyo knew from experience meant she was still a little drunk from yesterday. “Nayeon got wasted and she let me draw on her back with my new body paint. And maybe a permanent marker, so I left before she woke up.”

The bed shook next to her as Sana giggled silently, and that was enough to make Jihyo smile. She took her head out of the pillow and turned so that she was lying face to face with her girlfriend.

“What about you two?” Mina’s voice was so quiet Jihyo could only faintly hear what she was saying. “Anything fun happen last night?”

“We went on vlive.” Dahyun answered.

“Yup.” Tzuyu said. “Then we kissed a lot. It was nice.”

Any embarrassment Jihyo had was fully gone now. So what if her friends had photos of her being sappy while she was asleep? She had enough ammunition now to fire right back at them if they dared bring it up. Not that half of them would care, or feel embarrassed for more than a second at how weird they were.

Jihyo loved them so much.

Sana noticed the soft look on her face, because Sana noticed everything. Jihyo sometimes felt like there wasn’t a single emotion she and Mina went through that Sana didn’t pick up on.

“Want to go out and join them?”

It was tempting. Mina was out there. Breakfast was out there. Her friends were out there.

But the bed was very warm and snug. And it had Sana. Jihyo tried getting up, and then hesitated.

“Do you think we can get Mina to come back in?”

“I doubt it.” Sana was still smiling at her, all warmth and light and butterflies in Jihyo’s stomach, even after all these years.

Jihyo sighed, and then plonked her face back into the pillow.

“Five more minutes then.”

---

When she woke up an hour later, Mina was back in bed, her arm sprawled across both Jihyo and Sana.

Jihyo grinned, and ducked down to give her a forehead kiss. It was Sana’s signature move, but Mina loved it too much for Jihyo not to steal it from time to time. 

Sure enough, Mina’s lips flickered into a small smile.

“Cute.” Sana mumbled, face half buried in Jihyo’s shoulder.

Jihyo hummed in agreement, and Mina burrowed her head in deeper under the covers.

This, Jihyo thought, was much better than ok. In fact, it was pretty close to perfect.

Take that, imaginary Nayeon. It was possible to be the perfect cuddler. 

You just needed the right partners.