"We need a bigger bed," Erin says, throwing one leg over Jay's as she snuggles in closer to keep from falling off the edge of the bed.
"Hmmm?" comes the muffled reply from Mouse, dozing with his face pressed into Jay's shoulder on the other side.
"I don't think a bigger bed would fit in here," Jay says, eyes closed with a content smile on his lips.
"Which is why we need a bigger place," Erin adds, heart jumping in her chest.
Jay opens one eye and arches an eyebrow at her, while Mouse makes a soft noise of agreement, though Erin suspects he's only partially paying attention. His last therapy session unearthed some new nightmares and he hasn't been sleeping well.
"Oh, do we?" Jay asks, amused.
A fair response—they are, after all, piled into the bed in Jay's apartment. It may be their central location, but neither she nor Mouse have officially moved in. So it is still Jay's apartment. But the three of them spend most of their nights together, crammed into Jay's bed, a tangle of limbs. Erin and Mouse each have clothes here, though they still go back to their own apartments occasionally. And they've only officially been a triad for a couple months.
But still, Erin's mind has been turning to the future. To their future.
And to a bigger bed.
"What I mean is… we should move in together. Somewhere bigger."
Jay's eyes open fully, searching her face, and Mouse lifts his head groggily.
"Bigg'r 'partment?" he mumbles.
Erin bites her lip.
"Actually… I thought, well, if we're not paying for three separate apartments… I thought maybe we might be able to buy a house."
Jay's lips part in surprise. Mouse rubs an eye and gives her a good look, then glances at Jay and around the room.
"House'd be nice," he says, then drops his head back onto Jay's shoulder, though his eyes stay open.
"Huh." Jay looks between them. "A house… We could have a yard."
Erin grins. The many, many logistics will come later, but she knows she has them. A house of their very own.
"We could have people over for games," Mouse adds.
"A book nook," says Erin.
"A bigger kitchen—with a real dining room."
They spend the morning adding more things to the list of dreams for their house, getting more and more ridiculous as the day goes on. They laugh and one-up each other, none of them curtailing the others. Today is for dreaming. Tomorrow, they consider reality. Tomorrow they dig into their finances and make a budget. Tomorrow, they call a realtor. Tomorrow Erin and Mouse give notice to their landlords, holding onto Jay's apartment for the duration of the house hunt. Tomorrow, they realize Trudy will know when they change their addresses. Tomorrow, they consider when to tell their friends. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.
But today is for dreaming.