The morning air in the dorm was *thick*—not with warmth, not with coziness, but with pure, undiluted **awkwardness.**
Kikidori sat at the small kitchen table, aggressively buttering a piece of toast like it had personally wronged him. Ere'ana, meanwhile, was sitting across from him, blankly stirring a bowl of cereal she hadn't even taken a bite of.
Neither of them had spoken *a single word* since waking up.
And it was *painful.*
Kikidori wasn't even looking at her. Nope. Not happening. If he made eye contact, his brain might just *replay* last night's disaster, and that was a one-way ticket to therapy.
Ere'ana, on the other hand, was staring straight at him. Studying him.
Thinking.
She had two options:
1. Keep ignoring the obvious and let this weird tension fester like a cursed wound.
2. **Make it worse.**
And because she was *her*, she chose **option two.**
So, without warning, she took a deep breath, sat up straight, and said—
**"So… did I sound hot or nah?"**
Kikidori *choked* on his toast.
"*WHAT THE FUCK?!*" He slammed his hand on the table, coughing violently. "WHAT KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT?!"
Ere'ana snorted, barely holding back laughter. "A valid one!"
"*NO IT'S FUCKING NOT!*"
Ere'ana crossed her arms, pretending to be serious. "I mean, if I was *moaning your name* in my sleep, I at least wanna know if it sounded good."
Kikidori *dragged his hands down his face.* "I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU JUST SAID THAT TO ME."
Ere'ana shrugged. "Hey, awkward silence wasn't getting us anywhere."
Kikidori groaned. "OH, SO *THIS* WAS YOUR SOLUTION?!"
Ere'ana smirked. "I mean, it worked, didn't it? We're talking again."
Kikidori pointed at her aggressively. "You are **INSANE.**"
She leaned forward on the table. "C'mon, just be honest. Was it at least a little hot?"
Kikidori grabbed his toast and chucked it at her face. "FUCK YOU."
Ere'ana dodged, *cackling* as she held up her hands. "Okay, okay, fine! I'll stop!"
Kikidori slumped back in his chair, *done* with life. "This is hell. I am in hell."
Ere'ana grinned. "You're in our dorm, dumbass."
Kikidori groaned again, covering his face. "Same fucking thing."