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How could you do this to me!? "Vodyanitsa cried out dramatically, as if she'd just experienced the most soul-crushing betrayal. And maybe to the prima donna of the Korolevskiy troupe, it did feel like a betrayal to find out that her boyfriend had once again got distracted during her performance.
"I didn't mean to!" Mitya frantically tried to defend himself, completely ignoring the disapproving looks of his other two lovers and the gestures of his hand-shaped scarf, who all knew that any protests would only worsen Vodyanitsa's anger. "It's just, well, inspiration struck me because of your amazing singing, so of course I had to write down my ideas and—"
"And completely ignore your girlfriend?" Vodyanitsa crossed her arms, cheeks puffing up in frustration.
Alyosha and Odette shared a knowing look. There was no saving Mitya from the hole he dug himself into.
"Come on, Vodyanitsa, don't be like that..."
"I've heard enough. You, mister, are sleeping on the couch tonight."
"You can't just decide that! Shouldn't we put it to a vote or something?" Mitya desperately looked at his other two lovers, hoping for some support, only to be disappointed.
"It is kind of rude of you to go to the theatre only to ignore the performances we worked so hard for..." Oddette replied carefully.
"Yeah, and you really hurt Vodyanitsa's feelings this time." Alyosha agreed because there was no room for arguing when Vodyanitsa was upset.
Even Tugarin, the damn dog, let out an approving bark.
"That's three against one, Mitya." Vodyanitsa said firmly.
"Four," Alyosha corrected.
"Huh?"
"It's four against one." He pointed to Tugarin, who nodded along.
"Right, of course, four against one."
"Oh, come on! Are you just going to have Tugarin replace me in the cuddle pile tonight?" As soon as the words left Mitya's mouth, he regretted them. His three lovers and Tugarin looked between each other, genuinely considering it.
Mitya did sleep on the couch that night, Tugarin stealing his spot on top of Alyosha, with Vodyanitsa and Odette on his left and right, respectively.
The couch was luxurious and definitely better than other surfaces he'd slept on, such as his desk, his chair, or sometimes even the floor while surrounded by paperwork. Still, sleeping here instead of on a warm bed in the arms of his lovers felt like absolute torture. He'll have to apologise to Vodyanitsa.
❆❆❆❆
Mitya may be an expert in the scientific department, but he was entirely clueless when it came to relationships. That's why, even after hours of straining his brain for an idea on how to apologise to Vodyanitsa, he couldn't come up with anything good enough. A simple verbal apology surely wouldn't suffice—someone as refined and elegant as Vodyanitsa deserved better. He needed something more special. Like a gift! But what kind of gift? What gifts did lovers give one another?
He thought about asking one of his friends for advice, but there was a small problem. The only person he was close with and not currently dating was Veleriy, and he couldn't possibly ask Valeriy! The guy was even more clueless than him!
So, he resorted to his other two partners for an idea.
"Hey, Alyosha?" He casually started as the two of them made their way out of the house. Mitya was about to head to a work-related meeting while Alyosha and Tugarin were going hunting. "Hypothetically, if someone were going to give you a gift and you could choose whatever you want, what would you choose?"
Alyosha seemed unbothered by the completely out-of-the-blue question. He didn't spare a single moment to think before replying.
"Mora".
The answer was... not at all surprising. Mitya should have expected it.
"Mhm, interesting, but what if you have to pick something like... an item?"
Mora is an item. Well, multiple items."
"Right, of course..." He chuckled awkwardly. There was no way he could hand Vodyanitsa a bag of mora and ask for her forgiveness. Though, he'll keep the tactic in mind in case Alyosha ever gets upset at him.
"So, just to be sure, is there no other gift you can think of except for mora?"
"Not really."
Mitya sighed in defeat. Looks like he'll have to ask Odette for advice.
"Well, thanks for your input, Alyosha." He said, taking a small bag of mora out of his pocket and handing it to Alyosha. His eyes widened, his face visibly lighting up at the sight. He almost looked like an excited puppy who just got a treat. Mitya couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"Thank you, Mitya. I love you so much I promise to never forget the kindness you have shown me today." He said in a single breath.
"Get yourself something nice; you deserve it." He said before leaving to go find Odette.
He was planning to arrive at work early and revise his latest project, but he should have enough time to quickly read through it during break time.
❆❆❆❆
"Come in," Odette replied, a few moments after Mitya knocked on the door.
Her eyes widened slightly in surprise when she saw who the unexpected guest was. She put down her hairbrush and turned away from her vanity mirror to look at him—a cold yet curious expression gracing her features.
"Mitya? What brings you here?"
"Well, uhm, I was wondering, if you could choose a gift—any gift, what would it be? Hypothetically, of course!"
"Oh, are you thinking of buying Vodyanitsa a gift as an apology?"
Turns out at least one of Mitya's lovers wasn't entirely oblivious. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
"Uhh, no? Maybe? Alright, yes! B—but please don't tell her!'
Odette let out a fond chuckle. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."
"Thanks, Odette." He smiled in return. "Oh, and about the gift—"
"Flowers. Vodyanitsa likes classic romantic gifts."
Of course! Flowers were the standard gift between lovers! And Vodyanitsa is such a romantic; of course she'd like flowers! How didn't he think of that?!
"You're the best! Thanks so much!"
Odette rolled her eyes, but it did nothing to hide the small smile across her lips. "Yeah, yeah, now leave before Vodyanitsa sees you. Wouldn't want the surprise to be ruined."
"Yeah, you're right! Bye, Odette!" He said, hurrying out the door before the ballerina could even respond. Still, he felt like he was forgetting something...
Oh, right! How could he forget?!
Turning back around, he barged into the room, startling the poor girl who was once again sitting in front of the vanity, styling her hair in preparation for her next performance.
"Yes, Mitya?" She asked, slightly annoyed by the second interruption of the day.
"I love you."
Odette sighed. Unlike a certain temperamental opera singer, she couldn't stay mad at any of her lovers for too long. "I love you too."
❆❆❆❆
As soon as the Korolevskiy Troupe's show was over, Mitya hurried to the green room, flowers in hand and an apology ready for Vodyanitsa. There he found his two girlfriends, chatting in the hallway—presumably about the performance. They both looked so beautiful as the dim lighting of the hallway illuminated their features, making the jewellery and other accessories sparkle.
For a few moments, he could only stand there and stare—no, not stare, but admire—his beautiful girlfriends. Vodyanitsa's hair looked so silky and soft to the touch. Everything about her was soft, from her features to her voice... well, except when she was throwing a tantrum. Odette, in comparison, carried herself with sharp elegance, perfectly playing the role of both graceful ballerina and dangerous fatuus. Both girls were just so... breathtaking. Mitya found himself forgetting his actual reason for coming to the theatre.
Well, that was until Odette's words broke him out of his trance.
"Hey, Vodyanitsa, isn't that Mitya over there?"
"Huh? Where?" Vodyanitsa quickly whipped her head around. Any grudges she might have held towards him immediately dissipated when she saw the flowers in his hands. "Are those...?"
"I bought them for you. You know, as an apology." He said sheepishly, handing the bouquet of winter iceleas to the opera singer. This type of flower actually originated from Nod Krai, but plenty of them could be found in flower shops, albeit for a slightly higher price. Mitya didn't mind that, though, as the teal colour of the petals and leaves reminded him of his girlfriend.
"Mitya, these are..." Vodyanitsa seemed to be at a loss for words, and for a second, Mitya thought he somehow messed up again. His worries faded when a bright smile formed on the singer's face. "So gorgeous! I love them! I love you!" She exclaimed, hugging him tight and placing a sweet kiss on his cheek. Mitya didn't even mind the lip gloss remnants on his face; he could only be happy that Vodyanitsa was no longer cross with him.
The moment was cut short when Odette raised the question. "Mitya, what about the second bouquet?" She asked, noticing that there was another flower arrangement in his hand. While holding both of the giant bouquets, it was hard to see where one ended and the other started, so it was no surprise that neither of the girls noticed it until now.
"This one's for you, my darling." He replied, offering it to the now flustered ballerina.
"But... why?" She asked, taking the bouquet and pulling it up to her face in an attempt to hide the rosy blush of her cheeks. The pink-ish streaks of the frost lamp flowers he'd picked out perfectly matched the accessories of her outfit.
"Well, I figured it would be unfair to only buy flowers for one of my lovers, so I got a bouquet for each of you!"
"Wait, so Alyosha is getting a bouquet too?" Vodyanitsa asked.
"Of course, it wouldn't be fair otherwise."
Odette and Vodyanitsa traded a puzzled look before turning back to Mitya. "I guess you're right," the shorter girl spoke. "It's just, Alyosha doesn't exactly seem like the type to care much for flowers."
"Hmm, maybe you're right..." Mitya considered. "Well, too late for that; I already asked Valeriy to deliver them to him."
"You what?!"
"You see, I was planning to give them to him myself, but I got caught up with a project, and there was no way I could go to his house and still make it to your performance in time." He explained calmly, not really understanding Vodyanitsa's baffled reaction.
"And out of all people, you asked Valeriy to deliver the flowers?" Odette asked.
"He was the only person available," Mitya shrugged.
"Well, that's surely going to be an... interesting interaction."
❆❆❆❆
Valeriy was the person Alyosha least expected to see when he opened the front door. Especially considering the man was holding a giant bouquet of light red flowers. Alyosha couldn't recognise the exact species, but they didn't seem to be of Snezhnayan origin.
"Mister Mitya asked me to deliver these to you." Valeriy explained awkwardly, extending the bouquet towards him.
"I see... uhm, thank you?" Alyosha took the flowers just as awkwardly.
"Oh, there's also a note from him." Valeriy remembered, taking a piece of paper out of his pocket and quickly unfolding it. It reads as follows: My beloved Alyosha—"
Before he could continue, Alyosha snatched the paper from his hands in embarrassment. "It's okay, I'll read it myself!"
"You can read?" Valeriy curiously regarded him.
"Obviously?"
"Oh. That's surprising. Well, my job here is done, so I won't bother you any longer."
"Hold on a second. What do you mean that's surprising?!"
Valeriy completely ignored him, instead picking up the pace. He really wanted to get this whole thing over with and forget about this humiliating interaction. Damn Mitya, damn his flowers and damn his polycule.