The kitchen smelled faintly of damp wood and burnt rice, . Xiao stood by the stove, staring at the slow kettle on the fire with a gaze colder than the winds outside. The kettle, barely warm, sat stubbornly in place, mocking him. His fingers twitched, his patience thinning with every second

“If this thing doesn’t boil soon, I swear I’ll throw it into the next person's face,” he muttered, voice low, threatening. the frustration starting to bubble

Across the room, Kazuha stood by the door, staring at the broken frame. The storm from the previous night had torn it apart, leaving it hanging limply, barely attached. The wind howled through the cracks, pushing it further from its hinges. Kazuha’s gaze was like a blade as he watched the door sway. He'd already tried fixing it, but no

“I swear, if I have to look at this door for one more second, I’ll cut down the whole house if I must,” Kazuha muttered,

But the sounds of the kitchen and the creaking door were interrupted by an annoyed Scaramouche, freshly woken from his sleep, swung open the door to his room, only to be greeted by the sight of Xiao and Kazuha, two of the last people he ever want to share house with

“Why are you two awake at this hour? It's still dark outside!” Scaramouche’s voice had that usual sharp edge, thick with annoyance

Xiao simply tilted his head slightly, pointing a finger toward Scaramouche with a dry tone. “I would have thought someone who sleeps through storms and a dog barking nonstop wouldn’t have any problem with my presence, but here you are, annoyed. Funny, that.”

Scaramouche’s eyes twitched, his annoyance reaching a boiling point, though he was careful to keep his anger in check. “Tch, don’t act like you’re any better. You’ve been standing in that kitchen for an hour, glaring at that kettle like you’re going to kill it with your stare.”

Kazuha, without a word, looked over at Scaramouche, the broken door, and back to Xiao, silently assessing how much more he could take before his patience, too, snapped.