On Death's Row, the street most populated by college students, there exists a one-bedroom apartment that resides three people. Now, this wouldn't be strange at all, considering the high costs of living and lack of fire safety regulation, but the problem stands: the inhabitants aren't college students themselves.

They are an older crew, a group of twenty-somethings that ended up never moving out of the area once they had graduated from the university. No one knows why, but didn't they want to escape the hellscape once they had the chance? Legend has it, you can still see them in the middle of the night, silhouettes in the window, dancing to Beyonce every other Friday night.

For certain, one of the women who still lives there is named Tsubaki. She's a kind neighbor, the one who brings wine over to celebrate good grades and to mourn the loss of a fuck buddy. She is the one you could ask for extra eggs from because you forgot to go to the grocery store that week, and also for extra rolls of toilet paper because your roommate is in a predicament. Needless to say, she is the "room thirteen" favorite, a known presence. The other two women are to avoid at all costs.

And speaking of costs, another resident is Kim, the reason behind the disappearance of the communal washing machine quarters and the reason why no one wanted to use the fourth floor lounge anymore. Silver tongued and quick witted, she ropes you into a conversation, and once you've been disarmed, she drives you into a point of no return. Suddenly, not only does your entire ramen supply become signed away, but you also become five dollars lighter and her slave for the day.

Visitors are always warned of the beautiful, wicked witch of the apartment complex, and yet no one ever escapes her tricks. There are rumors that missing Amazon packages are taken by Kim, but she's never been caught in the act. Is she the type to swindle people under the law? Benefit of the doubt wants to trust that she wouldn't go that far, but the majority of the victims believes otherwise.

Finally, the most mysterious of the bunch is an anomaly. She didn't have a name to her, but she is always spotted coming home at odd hours, usually carrying take out or a pizza box with her all the way to her room. Often seen with a smaller girl half of her size and another girl, equally tall and serious looking, the girl seems like a leader of sorts. Not much is known outside of that, but like her other roommates, people have speculated that there is more than meets the eye.

The girl walks quietly, softly, leaving no sound after her, a habit that is far too unintentional to be a conscious thought. In contrast, she speaks fearlessly and is always caught with her voice raised, unafraid. Is it true that she was found smoking out of a window, or that she was seen with other reputable hoodlums a city away? No one will ever find out, especially because the girl isn't a person that one could easily go up to and ask; her roommates are equally as tight lipped about their past.

So how did this mismatched group of ladies find each other, and why did they stay in a one-bedroom apartment? Many of the students in the area would much rather ponder this than study for their midterms, and so the theories and conspiracies emerged, some of which had made it to the girls' ears.

News travels fast, but if walls had ears, it would be Tsubaki.

The girl takes the stairs back to her apartment, laundry basket on her waist and quarters weighing her pockets. She sets it down by the door and adjusts her phone's timer in hopes that no one will steal her delicates, but she knows that after Kim scared the new tenants, they wouldn't be missing any clothes until the next wave of students signed their lease.

Letting out a relaxed sigh, she sits on her couch and plays mobile games until one of her roommates come in five minutes later. Kim nudges the door open with her foot and begins to complain immediately when she comes in. It's something about the heavy front door, and then about the staring kids from her walk to the bookstore. Tsubaki nods understandingly and opens her arms for Kim, who slips in, still pouting.

"Would a little gossip make you feel better, dear?" Tsubaki offers, putting down her phone on the coffee table. "I have a bit of time before our laundry is done."

A catty grin tugs at Kim's lips. She perks up and looks to Tsubaki eagerly. "Always. What's the deets today?"

Her girlfriend hums, "Just the same old, but I think there's a hot, new theory about why there's so many people living in this small apartment."

"Oh, do tell. Is it because we're all related? Because you already told me that one."

"No, it's a different one."

"It can't be as bad as the one where they thought we were all running from the law."

"I thought that one was actually really funny?"

"That's because you're the one who looks like they would not be a felon, but actually be the one who would pull a knife on someone."

Tsubaki's light laughter echoes the sound of bells. "Isn't that more realistically Liz?"

"No, because she actually does look like a criminal."

"Say that again?" Liz says, walking out from the bathroom with a towel on her head.

"Ah, shit." Kim drapes herself over Tsubaki's lap and puts a hand on her forehead. "You caught me," she acts.

"Really now, I missed the first half of what y'all were talkin' about."

Tsubaki waves Liz over and takes her hand, directing her to the other side of the couch and gently takes off her towel. As she pats the ends of Liz's hair, Kim's motor mouth begins to run again.

"Let's see, alright, so, I come back from the bookstore- Patty was there and Maka was working by the way. Your sis says that she'll stop by here for dinner again, but I told her that you didn't want Chinese again-"

"Good call, I brought it home after work last night so I'm tired of it," Liz says, blowing hair from her face.

"- and she said not to worry because she was going to grab wings instead-"

"God, I'm sick of that too."

"- and so I said that you probably wanted a home cooked meal for once, so Patty said that she'll get wings from Safeway, so make sure that you make rice tonight-"

Tsubaki adds, "Already made and ready."

"Cool," Kim smiles. "Anywho! So as I'm walking, these freshman kids are out blocking the road, and so I tell them, like, 'Are you a toll? You some popo? Get out of my way.' And they were like, staring at me like totally put off, and said, 'It's a public road.' And like, time is money, you know? I'm not getting any richer, so I just ignore them and keep walking, but only after they gave me a dollar for my time.

"I come home, struggled with that stupid building door again, by the way, and Tsu is on the couch playing Clash of Clans. What level are you on again?"

"Seventy two, I think." She tilts her head. "Or was it seventy three?"

"Hashtag, not sponsored. Either way, I managed to get Tsu to put her phone down, and then she said that she was going to tell me an interesting thing today that she heard while she was doing our laundry-"

Liz interrupts, "Wait, did you take the stuff on the chair? I think that shit is cold wash only."

"Yeah, I did cold today," Tsubaki nods. "I thought you'd like a fresh uniform for the weekend."

"You're a goddess, babe."

"So anyway, Tsu said that she heard them talk more shit about rumors or something. It's about our favorite topic again," Kim says in a sing-song voice.

Liz whistles, "The mystery of the one-bedroom apartment?"

"That's the one!"

"Oh, ho. Do tell, Tsu. What sort of room layout are they saying this time?"

"My favorite is the one where one of us was sleeping in the bathroom."

"I don't know, the one about us having a miniature form was pretty creative."

"Well, spill. What was the theory this time?"

Tsubaki hands back Liz her towel, but continues to brush through her hair with her fingers. A sweet scent of fruity shampoo wafts through the living room. "The two boys on the third floor asked me if we took turns sleeping on the floor and on the bed. When I told them no, they went 'phew' and said that we must do what other people do, which is split up the bedroom, and then section off the living room. I told them no also, and that was when they started to get really curious.

"They asked if we had a futon in the living room, which is a no, and if there were actually only two people living here. Honestly, we all have keys."

"So many questions… those kids are nosy," Liz notes.

"They're just curious."

"How about we kill them?"

"Kim, they're already dying from school. They shouldn't have to die twice."

"Sad."

Tsubaki gives Liz's hair one last pat before resting her hands on her lap. "Aren't they so entertaining? Let's not tell anyone why for a while."

"You're the only one who really talks to them, though I have no idea why. They're all just snotty kids," Kim grumbles.

"Jealous?" Liz teases.

"You betcha," Kim sarcastically agrees. "Can't handle any more rivals. No more room for people to move in. We're at max capacity."

"It's a quite spacious room," Tsubaki says. "I can't believe it can fit us all comfortably."

"Two queen sized beds pushed together makes one goddess sized bed."

Liz rolls her eyes, "K, but seriously? No one figured out that we're all dating yet?"

Tsubaki shakes her head. "Nope, not even that Jackie is our fourth roommate."

The doorknob turns, right on time.

"What about me?" Jackie says, pulling her key out of the lock.

"The devil appears. Come join our cuddle pile!" Kim calls, patting Tsubaki's lap.

Peeling off her jacket, she crosses the room and perches on the couch's arm. Jackie sweeps her hair back and says, "Maybe I come home too late to be talked about."

Liz grumbles, "I do too, and yet they all think I'm a deviant."

"Are they wrong?"

Tsubaki ponders, "It may be because no one ever sees you without one of us, somehow. You're room thirteen's cryptid."

"I think that's still Liz," Kim snorts.

"Well," Jackie says, "If two is company, but three's a crowd, then what's four?"

"A good ol' time!" Tsubaki smiles.

Her alarm for their laundry rings, but her roommates refuse to let her pull herself away.

---

Written for Soul Eater Polyamory Week 2018
Day 5: Closer

Prompt:
-"Everyone else in the building is coming up with theories about why three people are sharing a one bedroom apartment and honestly it's so entertaining let's not tell anyone for a while, yeah?"

Thank you to Redphlox for betaing!