As far as anyone could tell, it had started out as a normal day.

Not a trace of animosity in the air over breakfast. Ramen cooking eggs, Kaizo sipping from a cup of tea while scrolling through his phone. Casual conversation.

Then Ramen mentioned a friend of his was having a Christmas party. Kaizo paid it little mind - didn't lift his eyes from his screen - told Ramen to have fun. Ramen insisted that Kaizo should come, too, and Kaizo expressed passive disinterest, avoiding the topic.

The next thing he knew, Ramen was shouting.

"I swear, you are the worst person anyone could have for a boyfriend."

And Kaizo was shouting back, tuning out Ramen's words in favor of his own comebacks, which only served to make the blond angrier than he already was. Which was strikingly uncharacteristic for Ramen, to begin with. Any surprise Kaizo may have expressed at Ramen lashing out at him immediately evaporated, leaving only spite and vexation.

"You know what, that's it," Kaizo said finally. "I'm going to my brother's house."

"You go do that," Ramen replied coldly. "It'll be good to not have to deal with you for once."

Kaizo ignored the way his words felt like an icy slap to the face and silently grabbed his jacket, leaving without another word. Ramen said nothing as the door slammed closed, and Kaizo didn't look back.

-

And now he's here, standing in front of the narrow townhouse, pressing the glowing doorbell. His mind is amazingly blank as the door takes an age to open, revealing someone who is not his brother.

"Kaizo?" Boboiboy's jaw drops in surprise.

Kaizo attempts to peek behind him.

"Is Pang home?"

Boboiboy shakes his head.

"He's out with Gopal right now, but they'll be back soon." He steps aside. "Come in."

Kaizo hesitates a moment before following him in and closing the door behind him to keep out the cold. He lingers around the entrance awkwardly, till Boboiboy reaches to take his jacket, and he quickly sheds it. It ends up shoved in the closet, and Boboiboy retires to the dining table, which is presently spread with piles of sheets surrounding an open laptop.

Kaizo, now lacking his jacket, shakes off his shoes and slips out of them, avoiding the puddles of melted snow that have formed on the floor. Almost immediately, something soft rubs against his ankles, and he looks down to see a tabby cat rubbing itself against his leg.

He stands still and stares down at it till it passes, disappearing back into a bedroom, and relaxes, shuffling over to the living room. Boboiboy, engrossed in his laptop screen, doesn't glance his way as he settles himself down onto a sofa.

It still feels awkward and out of place, but he relaxes his back and slouches into the soft upholstery. The room looks messier than he remembers it, though his memories are faded. Judging by the pile of work on the table, Boboiboy, at least, hasn't had the time to keep the place clean. As for his housemates, Kaizo can only wonder how much his brother and his friend contribute to the housekeeping.

Kaizo closes his eyes and his mind immediately rushes back to replay the events of this morning. He has a headache. The cold dregs of his tea are probably still on the counter. He wonders if Ramen bothered to put the cup in the sink. Or if he ditched the house soon after Kaizo, heading to a friend's place to relax.

Kaizo doesn't know, nor does he care very much. He's here, now, and when Pang finally gets home, he'll be with his own family.

He cringes very slightly at that thought because it's such an unfamiliar concept to cross his mind. He supposes that bad experiences with other people only serve to tighten the ties of blood. Still, though, he rarely thinks of Pang in that familial sense.

There's a shifting in the cushions and Kaizo stiffens as a small black cat pads across the sofa, behind Kaizo's shoulders. Its fur brushes just barely against his hair and he's frozen still as it passes.

How many cats do they have here?

Before he knows it, there's a rustling at the door, barely audible voices outside, the slightly more distinguishable turning of a key in a lock, and the door finally cracks open.

"We're home," comes the chipper declaration from none other than his brother.

Pang appears, flushed from the cold, bright eyes and a cheery grin as he greets his boyfriend. The one not accompanying him, carrying an equal load of bulging shopping bags.

Boboiboy gets up to meet them at the door, and that's when Pang's eyes travel to the living room to land on the unexpected visitor on the sofa. He stops in his tracks, narrowing his eyes.

"What's he doing here?" He's asking Boboiboy, not Kaizo.

Boboiboy follows his gaze to the couch.

"Er, he came by a while ago. I told him you went out."

Pang nods slowly, though the suspicion doesn't fade from his face. Gopal doesn't appear nearly as startled by Kaizo's presence, rather he seems to ignore him completely as he heaves the bags onto the limited amount of free space on the table.

He walks over and slaps a hand to Boboiboy's cheek, and the other recoils at the sensation.

"Feel how cold it is outside," Gopal demands, and Boboiboy nods with wide eyes.

"You guys want koko?"

"That'd be great," Pang flashes a smile, though Kaizo can't place whether it's genuine or sarcastic.

Boboiboy doesn't seem to question as he heads behind the counter and grabs a can of powder, presumably to prepare warm drinks. He doesn't ask if Kaizo wants one.

In fact, as Fang heads up the stairs to where the bedrooms are, Kaizo may as well not be an entity in the room at all. He's just sitting there, practically invisible, twiddling his thumbs and hyper-aware of cat fur affixing itself to his pants from simply sitting on the sofa.

Pang reappears from the stairs, wearing only a tank top and jeans, having shed the sleeved layer underneath his winter jacket. He barely glances Kaizo's way as he reaches to pick up the small black cat from the stairs and cradle it gently as he walks over to the living room. He sits down on a chair next to the couch and sets the cat down to play on his lap. He leans back into the cushions and stretches his arms with a sigh and then, finally, addresses Kaizo.

"So, what brings you here?"

He doesn't turn to look at Kaizo, which catches Kaizo off-guard, and he pauses.

"Let me guess, it's not because you miss your brother," Pang goes on when Kaizo doesn't respond. "Where's Ramen?"

"We're taking a break..." Kaizo says slowly.

A bit too slowly. Pang raises a skeptical eyebrow, but, to Kaizo's mercy, doesn't press on. He shrugs.

"It's nice to see you again," he says casually, producing a ribbon from somewhere and holding it up in the air as the black cat leaps up to grab at it.

"Mm," Kaizo nods along vaguely.

The aroma of warm chocolate reaches them and Pang gets up to retrieve his mug of koko from the kitchen counter, leaving Kaizo alone in the living room again. He stares at the black cat, who plays with the piece of ribbon Pang dropped, before abandoning it and padding off towards Pang.

Somehow, in spite of Pang's words, he feels more out-of-place than he did before.

-

The house is too empty.

Given, a full house is plenty space for just two people to begin with, but the hallways suddenly feel hauntingly deserted. Ramen can't help but shiver even though the heating system is functional and running; it almost feels as though every rush of cold wind outside has seeped in through the walls and settled into the rooms.

As chilly as the house feels, Ramen's blood is still boiling. Every time he steps back into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat, he has flashbacks to their fight before that prick finally got up and left, and it fills Ramen with a surge of anger that erases whatever appetite he had before coming downstairs.

His friends have no objection to him coming over to hang out in attempts to get his mind off of his ire, but he ends up venting about it anyway. They listen patiently and Mamee is especially earnest in his support, but in the end, Ramen only ends up feeling frustratingly hollow.

So they distract him, and he smiles, and laughs, and almost forgets that his boyfriend is a stubborn jerk who wasted his time and his energy and his feelings, until he's convinced that he's fine. Then he thanks them and bids his goodbyes and goes back home and sees the kitchen again.

And then he goes to sleep in an empty bed, seething all the while.

He wakes up alone under blankets, and in the wee hours of morning - his phone tells him 2:53am in the dark - starts to wish he had something to hold on to.

Not Kaizo, though. Never Kaizo.

It's surprisingly chilly in the early morning. He wonders what the thermostat reads.

Okay, maybe Kaizo...

He lays awake till the day begins, and any trace of sympathy he had for Kaizo disappears with the rising run.

-

It takes Kaizo a moment when he wakes up to remember that he's sleeping in the second bedroom in Pang's house. Apparently, Gopal usually sleeps here alone because his snoring keeps the other two awake at night, but they took him in with minimal negotiation for the time being, so Kaizo has the room to himself.

He briefly ponders the impact it had on Pang and Boboiboy's sleep last night, then dismisses the thought. They'll probably be fine...

Yesterday morning, Ramen shook him awake at 8am - which was barbaric considering it was winter break. Kaizo feels a twinge of annoyance at the memory, intensified tenfold at the recollection of what proceeded after breakfast.

It's all just an unpleasant mess in his mind, unfortunately vivid with spite. He glances at the clock.

8:47.

Damn, you, Ramen...

Kaizo tries to shove the blond out of his mind and wonders if it's too early to go downstairs yet. He takes his chances and tiptoes out of the room - to his surprise, the curtains around the window at the end of the hallway are open, letting light stream onto the floor before the stairs.

The sun is bright considering the time - almost mockingly bright - as if to scorn his own unhappiness.

He steps downstairs carefully and it takes him a moment to distinguish Boboiboy's head in his arms, hunched over the table. His laptop is still open, but the screen is dark.

Kaizo stands around hesitantly, not wanting to disturb the other, but also feeling rather hungry. He hadn't the heart to eat much last night, stomach twisting with anxiety and leaving little room or tolerance for food. This morning, he's not feeling much better, but he is famished.

He slowly, carefully, cracks open the fridge. A carrot donut sits on the top shelf, immediately catching his eye, and he almost instinctively reaches for it.

"Oh, you're awake?"

Kaizo has a small heart attack and whips around to see Boboiboy blearily gazing at him, lifting his head from the table.

"I didn't disturb you, did I?" Kaizo asks quickly.

Boboiboy yawns and shakes his head. "It's the last week of classes. I was going to pull an all-nighter, but I guess I fell asleep..."

Kaizo has brief war flashbacks to the agonies of college and nods sympathetically.

"Gopal makes breakfast, if you want to wait a while," Boboiboy goes on. "Help yourself, otherwise."

He pauses, squinting at the fridge door currently ajar, Kaizo's hand inching towards the carrot donut.

"I think Fang might want that, though," he adds apologetically, and Kaizo sighs, dropping his hand in defeat.

"It's fine," he says, slightly disappointed, and half a mind to weigh the likelihood of Pang murdering him for eating his donut (which isn't improbable). "I'll have, uh..."

"Eggs?" Boboiboy prompts, and Kaizo pauses.

Truth be told, he doesn't actually know how to cook, but Boboiboy doesn't know that - and doesn't need to find out, either.

"Eggs," Kaizo nods, and ducks back to scan the fridge for eggs.

At least he knows he's looking for round brown ovals. Or, white, he finally comes up with one, and sets it down on the counter. Something feels slightly unfamiliar about using white eggs instead of brown.

The egg sits on the counter, and Kaizo feels almost threatened by it, as if it's watching him, daring him to prove his incompetence. He's never had to cook a meal in his life - save for microwaved quick-fixes - usually it was Ramen...

The image of the blond floats back into his mind. A skillet. A sizzling sunny-side-up. Ramen's spatula. Ramen's face, twisted in annoyance. Anger.

"I'm kind of sick of you sometimes."

"Uh, you good?"

Boboiboy's voice snaps him out of his thoughts and he stills, only now realizing he's slightly shaking. He looks up at the other and nods, not quite convincingly. Boboiboy raises an eyebrow, then, after a beat,

"Do you know how to cook an egg?"

Kaizo freezes, then slowly nods.

"Does it show?" he asks doubtfully.

Boboiboy laughs. "Nah, Fang can't cook for the life of him, so figures."

Kaizo stares on hesitantly.

"He said you guys never learned to cook because Lahap made all your meals," Boboiboy goes on, not wrong. "When I tell you how he tried to cook an egg in the microwave. Shell on and everything!"

Kaizo nods along, mentally noting 'no shell in the microwave'.

"So uh, what do I do with this," he asks, frowning.

He recalls Ramen cracking an egg into a skillet, but unfortunately, the Kaizo who witnessed the scene to commit it to memory was paying more attention to Ramen's hands than what they were doing, and the Kaizo who attempts to recall information does not want to remember Ramen in any way shape or form right now, so he's at a bit of a loss.

"I'm assuming Ramen does the cooking at home," Boboiboy goes on knowingly.

Kaizo stiffens, probably visibly, but to his mercy, Boboiboy doesn't press, and there's the thud of footfalls on the stairs. They turn to see Pang appearing at the bottom of the stairs, peering at both of them, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

"The fuck you doing awake so early?" he gapes at Kaizo, who shrugs. It's a bit of a learned habit at this point.

"And you," Pang turns to Boboiboy. "Did you manage that all-nighter?"

Boboiboy's eyes are drooping and he shakes his head. Pang purses his lips, an unreadable expression, and Kaizo questions him.

"Don't you still have assignments?"

Pang pauses, almost hesitant, then throws his hands up in the air. "Listen, I've been studying my ass off for months, I deserve a break."

Kaizo's eyebrows jump and Pang is quick to continue,

"But I'll finish it up tonight. Gopal and I were going to pull an all-nighter tonight to finish everything before Friday, though I'll bet he's gonna need at least two to catch up on everything."

Boboiboy shakes his head tiredly at them both, though Pang ignores him to yank open the fridge and grab the donut Kaizo had been eyeing earlier. Pang eats it whole in one bite, and Kaizo feels a twinge of jealousy.

"Nhbgwshohotndsyehdeh," Pang says with his mouth full, then swallows. "I'd go back today-"

"You're just gonna procrastinate all your work till tonight?" Boboiboy cuts him off, and he sighs.

"I said I'd get it done, didn't I?" Pang pouts. "I didn't say when."

This time Kaizo interjects,

"You should finish your work while you have the time. Don't delay it."

He doesn't mean to sound overbearing and bossy, but it slips into his voice out of habit. Pang simply scoffs.

"Okay, old man," he rolls his eyes, but there's a smile on his lips, and it catches Kaizo off-guard.

He narrows his eyes, but then Pang finishes,

"Anyway, I need those donuts."

Boboiboy ignores him and glances upstairs.

"Is Gopal up yet?"

Pang shrugs, opening the fridge again to search for something to eat, then closes it in defeat, standing up to scan the countertop, and his eyes land on the sole egg sitting in front of Kaizo. Kaizo catches his eye.

"Kaizo was going to make himself something before Gopal came down to cook," Boboiboy explains, to Kaizo's disappointment, as Pang's eyebrows jump.

"You cook?"

He's faintly smirking and Kaizo desires nothing more than to slap the amusement off his face. He settles for a disgruntled grimace and Pang pokes him.

"It's not like you can cook, either," he points out, praying that Pang hasn't picked up a skill or two in his absence.

To his relief, Pang shrugs.

"Don't need to," he grins, absolutely relaxed. "Why bother, when I've got two talented chefs in the house to spoil me."

"Well so do I!" Kaizo says without thinking, catching himself a moment too late. Oh, no...

Pang raises an eyebrow and Kaizo's heart sinks, but he doesn't press further.

"Anyway," Boboiboy notes the awkward silence. "I guess Gopal isn't coming down, yet, so I'll cook."

"He didn't snore all night," Pang muses.

"You mean he didn't choke on cat fur in the middle of the night?" Boboiboy teases.

Fang smirks. "I wouldn't know - I slept with my noise-cancelling headphones on."

They laugh good-naturedly and Kaizo feels awkwardly out of place, closing in on himself as if to distance himself without moving. He doesn't belong here...

Someone slides a plate of eggs in front of him and he doesn't look up to see who it is - though the plate is unfamiliar, for a moment it almost feels like another morning, Ramen passing him a plate of freshly cooked eggs. He knows in the back of his mind that Ramen isn't here, but if he stares intently enough, he can almost imagine...

The eggs don't taste like Ramen's at all, which is a reality check, he supposes. He eats them with a very slight frown, though quickly turns the corners of his lips up into a grateful smile when Pang glances his way.

"Thanks," he says, sliding the empty plate back. "They were delicious."

Ramen's are a thousand times better, but he doesn't say that.

-

Pang heads out alone to the bakery in pursuit for his beloved donuts, and, thankfully, the pantry is restocked by the afternoon. Kaizo doesn't hesitate to grab one the moment Pang tucks them away in a cabinet, and his brother only gives him a long look before shrugging and warning him not to finish them all by himself.

"That's my job," Pang finishes with a smirk and Kaizo, in spite of himself, softens.

He still goes back to sneak another one when Pang and Gopal are engrossed in their studies, though. If it goes to say anything, this is one good thing he hasn't had in a long time.

He doesn't bother them while they work. He closes his bedroom door, but after approximately half an hour, feels terribly closed-in and lonely, so he opens the door. Almost immediately, a pale grey cat walks in through the door, graceful and almost reproachful, as Kaizo watches it warily. It circles the room and then leaves, before the tabby cat from earlier arrives, this time hopping onto the bed and curling up next to him.

He dares to pet it, and it makes no complaint as he runs a hand through warm, soft fur. It purrs contentedly and he finds himself captivated by it. Just watching it is rather fascinating, and it shifts and pads its way onto his lap, greeting him with the unfamiliar sensation of gentle claws digging in through his sweatpants.