The next morning, Jay woke up to the sound of someone arguing.
Again.
Honestly, she wasn't even surprised anymore.
"Ate said no!"
"Ate isn't here right now!"
"Ate always finds out!"
Jay opened her eyes and immediately recognized the voices.
Keiran and Keigan.
She groaned softly and sat up.
Beside her, Keifer was already awake.
"You hear that?" she asked.
"Every morning."
"You live like this?"
"Unfortunately."
Jay laughed.
A few minutes later, they headed downstairs for breakfast.
Keiran was sitting at the table looking suspiciously innocent.
Which meant he had definitely done something.
Keigan looked much calmer.
"Ate!" Keiran immediately brightened when he saw her.
"Good morning, baby."
"Good morning, ate!"
Keigan smiled warmly.
"Morning, ate. Morning, kuya."
"Morning," Keifer replied.
Everyone sat down.
For a few minutes, breakfast was surprisingly peaceful.
Then Jay looked at Keifer.
Keifer looked at Jay.
And immediately Keigan noticed.
Uh oh.
"Ate?"
Jay cleared her throat.
"There's something we want to tell you both."
Keiran immediately gasped.
"ARE YOU GETTING MARRIED?"
Jay nearly dropped her spoon.
"WHAT?"
Keifer almost choked on his coffee.
"No!"
Keiran looked disappointed.
"Oh."
Keigan sighed.
"Let them talk, Keiran."
"Okay."
He waited exactly two seconds.
Then leaned forward.
"Talk faster."
Jay looked at Keifer.
Keifer looked at Jay.
Neither wanted to be the one to say it.
Finally, Jay spoke.
"I… um…"
Why was this harder than expected?
Keifer finally decided to help.
"Jay's moving in."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Keiran blinked.
Keigan blinked.
Jay waited.
Then—
"WAIT WHAT?!"
Keiran jumped out of his chair.
"ATE IS LIVING HERE?!"
Jay laughed nervously.
"Yes."
"FOREVER?!"
"Well—"
"FOREVER?!"
"Hopefully," Keifer answered.
Keiran screamed.
Actually screamed.
"ATE IS STAYING!"
He immediately ran around the dining room like he'd just won the lottery.
"Ate is staying! Ate is staying! Ate is staying!"
Jay buried her face in her hands.
Keifer looked entirely too pleased.
Meanwhile, Keigan was smiling quietly.
Not surprised.
Just happy.
"That's good."
Jay looked up.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
His smile softened.
"This house is better when you're here, ate."
That almost made her emotional.
Before she could respond, Keiran launched himself at her.
"Ate!"
"Oof—"
"You can't leave now!"
"I wasn't planning to."
"Promise?"
Jay smiled softly.
"Promise."
Keiran grinned so hard his cheeks looked ready to explode.
Later that afternoon…
Jay realized she still had one more person to tell.
Percy.
Unfortunately.
She was sitting in the living room when she finally called him.
Keifer was beside her.
Keigan was reading nearby.
Keiran was drawing something that looked suspiciously like a dinosaur fighting a helicopter.
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
"BABY SISTAHHHH!"
Jay immediately moved the phone away from her ear.
"Why are you shouting?"
"Because that's how I talk!"
"You live alone."
"IRRELEVANT."
Jay sighed.
"Percy."
"Hmm?"
"I need to tell you something."
Immediately his tone changed.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"You used my full attention voice."
"That's not a thing."
"It is."
Keifer looked amused already.
Jay pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Anyway…"
She took a breath.
"I'm moving into Watson Mansion."
Silence.
Complete silence.
For once in his life—
Percy stopped talking.
Jay frowned.
"Percy?"
Nothing.
"Percy?"
Still nothing.
"Did he die?" Keiran asked.
Then suddenly—
"YOU'RE WHAT?!"
The entire room jumped.
Jay nearly dropped the phone.
"PERCY!"
"YOU'RE MOVING IN?!"
"Yes!"
"WITH MY BROTHER-IN-LAW?!"
"Yes!"
"THE MAN WHO GOT SHOT?!"
"WHY IS THAT PART RELEVANT?"
"I DON'T KNOW!"
Keifer was laughing now.
Actually laughing.
Which only encouraged Percy.
"YOU TWO ARE INSANE!"
"Thank you," Keifer replied.
"I WASN'T COMPLIMENTING YOU!"
Keiran immediately abandoned his drawing and sprinted over.
"PERCYYYYY!"
"KEIRANNNN!"
Oh no.
Keigan lowered his book.
He already knew what was about to happen.
Chaos.
"PERCY!"
"KEIRAN!"
"ATE IS STAYING HERE!"
"I KNOW!"
"FOREVER!"
"I KNOW!"
"KUYA LOOKED HAPPY!"
"I BET HE DID!"
Jay covered her face.
Keifer looked delighted.
The shouting continued.
For several minutes.
Neither Percy nor Keiran seemed capable of speaking at a normal volume.
Finally Percy suddenly gasped dramatically.
"WAIT."
Jay immediately knew she wouldn't like whatever came next.
"What?"
"Does this mean you're basically married now?"
"PERCY."
"DOES IT?"
"No!"
Keifer looked suspiciously entertained.
"Not helping," Jay muttered.
"I'm enjoying this."
"Of course you are."
Keiran nodded seriously.
"Kuya smiled for twenty minutes after ate said yes."
Jay froze.
Keifer froze.
Keigan slowly lowered his book.
"Oh?"
Jay turned toward Keifer.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
"Twenty minutes?"
Keifer looked at his brothers.
His traitorous brothers.
Keiran smiled proudly.
"I counted!"
Jay immediately burst out laughing.
Keifer groaned.
"I raised both of you."
"Badly," Keiran replied.
"Very badly," Keigan added.
Jay laughed even harder.
Even Percy was dying of laughter through the phone.
And while Keifer pretended to be offended…
The smile never left his face.
Because honestly?
He didn't care.
Not when Jay was laughing.
Not when his brothers were happy.
Not when the mansion felt alive.
For the first time in years, everything felt right.
And judging by the way Percy wouldn't stop teasing them…
Things were only going to get more chaotic from here