The scent of something sugary and sinful filled the air.
Kei rubbed his temples. "What the hell are you making now?"
Az, still shirtless and smug, twirled a spatula like a baton. "Cinnamon banana pancakes. You're welcome."
"Why do you keep cooking half-naked?" Kei muttered, still reeling from the incident earlier.
Bel's entire existence was now burned into his brain in high definition—back muscles, V-line, towel. Towel. God.
"You're still blushing," Az pointed out with a devilish grin.
"I'm overheating from secondhand embarrassment," Kei snapped, avoiding eye contact with either of them.
Bel, of course, walked into the room at that exact moment, now in a black tank top and low-hanging sweatpants—still damp hair clinging to his jawline like it was some shampoo commercial from hell.
Kei nearly dropped his glass of water.
"Good morning," Bel said coolly, already sipping Kei's last can of coffee from the fridge.
"That was mine," Kei hissed, too flustered to sound threatening.
Bel shrugged. "Finders keepers."
Az plated pancakes like a bored chef-god and set them on the table. "Breakfast is served. Let the awkward tension commence."
Kei poked the stack with his fork. "You didn't put any aphrodisiacs in this, did you?"
"No promises," Az said, winking.
"I hate both of you."
"You say that every day," Bel replied calmly, sitting beside him. "Yet you're still here."
"Because I have rent to pay!"
Az leaned over the table with a faux-serious tone. "Kei. Look me in the eye and tell me you didn't dream about that shower moment."
Kei stabbed the pancake. "I dreamed about stabbing someone with a fork."
"Oh, so it was me this time."
Bel, still reading from Kei's psych book like he belonged in a university library ad, added, "You looked for more than five seconds."
"WHY ARE YOU STILL TALKING ABOUT THAT?!"
"You also stared at my waist."
"STOP—!"
Az looked delighted. "He kept count. Bel kept count."
"I'm transferring schools," Kei mumbled. "New life. New name. I'll live in a cave."
Bel leaned slightly closer. "You'll miss us."
"No, I'll finally know peace."
Az smirked. "Bet he dreams about Bel again tonight."
Bel gave a faint smile. "Unlikely. He'll be too distracted thinking about what's under your towel next time."
Kei choked on his orange juice.
Az looked mock-offended. "Wow. Jealousy suits you, Ice Prince."
Kei slammed his fork down and stood. "I'm going for a walk. A long walk. Through traffic, maybe."
"Don't trip on your feelings," Az called after him.
Bel added, "Try not to imagine anything."
Kei screamed incoherently into the hallway as the door slammed shut.
Az turned to Bel. "Should we tone it down?"
Bel took another sip of stolen coffee. "No."