The air conditioner in the dorm is broken. And Karina is dying.
Not literally, of course. But it feels like it.
She groans dramatically, draping herself over the couch, her tank top sticking uncomfortably to her skin. "This is actual hell," she whines.
Across the room, Giselle barely spares her a glance, sipping on a half-melted iced coffee like she’s completely unfazed.
Karina hates her for it.
"Why are you not suffering?" Karina demands, pushing damp strands of hair from her face.
Giselle raises an eyebrow. "Because I’m not a baby?"
Karina glares.
Giselle smirks.
And Karina hates her even more.
"You could at least pretend to be miserable with me," Karina mutters, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead like she’s in some old-timey drama.
Giselle hums, setting her drink down. "Why would I do that when you’re already being dramatic enough for both of us?"
Karina huffs. "You’re the worst."
"You love me." Karina freezes.
It’s meant to be a joke. Giselle says it easily, like she’s said it a thousand times before, like it doesn’t mean anything.
But something about the way she says it—about the way her voice lingers just a little too long, about the way her gaze flickers over Karina’s face— It makes Karina’s stomach twist.
Heat curls at the base of her spine, and it has nothing to do with the broken AC.
Giselle watches her reaction closely, and Karina suddenly feels like she’s playing a game she doesn’t know the rules to.
The worst part? She doesn’t want to win.
"Come here," Giselle says suddenly, voice softer now.
Karina blinks. "What?"
Giselle pats the space beside her on the couch. "You’re literally sweating. I’ll cool you down."
Karina hesitates. She shouldn’t. She knows she shouldn’t.
But Giselle is looking at her.
And she’s too hot, too tired, too weak to fight it.
So she moves. Settling beside Giselle, closer than she probably should.
Giselle doesn’t say anything. She just shifts, reaching out, pressing her cold fingers against the nape of Karina’s neck.
Karina shudders.
It’s embarrassing.
Giselle laughs under her breath, leaning in. "Sensitive?"
Karina glares, Giselle’s fingers are cold. Unreasonably, unfairly, sinfully cold.
And Karina? Karina is weak.
She barely suppresses a shudder when Giselle’s fingertips brush against the back of her neck, trailing slowly, teasingly, down to her shoulder.
Giselle grins, clearly enjoying this way too much. "Wow. You’re really suffering, huh?"
Karina groans. "If you’re not here to help, shut up."
"Oh, I am helping," Giselle says, her tone dripping with fake innocence. She presses her fingers against Karina’s collarbone next, and Karina actually jerks.
"Yah!" Karina swats at her hand, face heating up (which is so unfair, because she’s already suffering from the heat). "Why are your hands so cold?"
Giselle shrugs, feigning indifference. "I guess I’m just cool like that."
Karina glares. "That was awful. You should actually suffer for that."
Giselle only smirks, her fingers still resting lightly against Karina’s skin. "Want me to keep going or not?"
Karina hates that she does. Because damn it, the contrast between the ice-cold touch and the unbearable heat is heavenly.
"...Fine," she mutters, looking away. "Just—don’t be weird about it."
Giselle gasps dramatically, placing a hand over her heart. "Me? Weird? Karina, I would never—"
"Shut up," Karina grumbles.
Giselle grins and shifts closer.
Too close.
Karina stiffens as Giselle’s hand slides from her shoulder to her arm, then down to her wrist, her fingers ghosting over sensitive skin like she knows exactly what she’s doing.
"Relax," Giselle murmurs.
Karina can't.
Especially not when Giselle leans in, her breath warm against Karina’s ear as she whispers, "Do you want me to touch somewhere else?"
Karina chokes. She actually chokes.
"Giselle!" She shoves her, face burning. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Giselle throws her head back and cackles.
"Yah!" Karina scowls, smacking her arm. "I knew you were being weird about it!"
Giselle wipes at her eyes, still grinning. "Oh, come on, that was funny."
"That was not funny!"
"It was so funny."
Karina groans, burying her face in her hands. "I hate you."
Giselle leans in again, voice smug. "You love me."
Karina grabs a couch pillow and throws it at her
She has had it. She’s hot, sweaty, and now—thanks to acertain someone—also embarrassed.
Giselle, on the other hand? Completely unbothered. She’s still lounging on the couch, sipping her stupid iced coffee with her stupid smug smirk, while Karina suffers.
Unacceptable.
Karina glares. "You’re enjoying this way too much."
Giselle grins. "Enjoying what?"
Karina scowls. "This. My suffering."
Giselle hums in fake thought. "I mean, I wouldn’t say I’m enjoying it, but—" She pauses, smirking. "Actually, no. I am enjoying it."
"I knew it."
Karina grabs another pillow and swings.
Giselle dodges easily, laughing. "Yah! Is this how you treat someone who’s trying to help you?"
"Trying to help?!" Karina repeats, incredulous. "You’ve done nothing except bully me!"
"Excuse me—I literally offered you free cooling services."
"That was not cooling, that was just an excuse to be annoying!"
Giselle gasps in mock offense. "Annoying?! Wow. After everything I’ve done for you?"
"What have you done for me?"
Giselle shrugs. "I let you exist in my presence."
Karina launches another pillow at her.
This time, it hits. Square in the face.
Giselle lets out a dramatic "oof!" before flopping back onto the couch, groaning like she’s been fatally wounded.
"Betrayal," she mutters weakly. "I never saw it coming."
"Good," Karina says, crossing her arms. "Suffer."
Giselle peeks at her from under the pillow, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You know this means war, right?"
Karina narrows her eyes. "What—"
Before she can react, Giselle lunges.
She grabs Karina’s wrist and yanks her down onto the couch, fast, rolling them over until Karina is pinned beneath her.
Karina gasps. "Yah—!"
Too late. Giselle is already grinning down at her, triumphant.
"Checkmate," she teases, her hands braced on either side of Karina’s head. "Still hot?"
Karina’s brain short-circuits. Not because of the heat.
Because of the way Giselle is looking at her.
Smirking. Amused. Close. Way too close.
Karina swallows hard, trying to glare. "Get. Off."
Giselle tilts her head, feigning innocence. "Make me."
Oh, hell no.
Karina glares harder. "I will bite you."
Giselle laughs. "Willyou?"
Karina doesn’t think. She just does it.
She leans up—and nips at Giselle’s shoulder, hard enough to make a point.
Giselle yelps. "YAH!"
Karina shoves her off and scrambles away, victorious. "THAT’S WHAT YOU GET!"
Giselle clutches her shoulder, eyes wide in disbelief. "Did you just BITE me?!"
"You asked for it!"
"I didn’t think you’d actually do it!"
Karina shrugs, smirking now. "Well. You underestimated me."
Giselle groans, flopping onto the couch. "I can’t believe I’m in love with a feral gremlin."
Karina chokes. "WHAT?!"
Silence.
Then—
Giselle freezes.
Karina stares.
And the heat in the room suddenly has nothing to do with the broken AC.