The heater in their dorm breaks down on one of the coldest nights, forcing the team to fix it themselves since calling for repairs would take days.

Winter scowled at the rattling heater in the corner, its metallic groans mocking her. She wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing at her goosebump-covered skin. "Great. We're special forces, but we can't even keep warm in our own place."

Karina crouched next to the unit, screwdriver in hand, her brows furrowed in concentration. Winter leaned against the wall, watching Karina with a mixture of irritation and begrudging curiosity. "You sure you know what you're doing, boss?"

Karina didn't even glance up. "If you've got a better idea, feel free to step in."

Winter snorted but didn't move. She didn't trust herself not to break the thing entirely. Ningning, sitting cross-legged on the couch, twirled a loose wire she'd plucked from the toolbox like it was a new toy. "I mean, we could just set it on fire. Instant warmth."

Karina shot her a withering look. "We're not burning the dorm down, Ning."

Yuna, who'd been bundled under a pile of blankets, poked her head out. "What if we all just, like, huddle together? You know, share body heat-"

"Not happening," Winter interrupted, her nose wrinkling.

Karina tightened a screw and sighed as the heater emitted another metallic groan. She could feel Winter's eyes boring into her back, as they always did when she was annoyed-which, admittedly, was often.

"Pass me the wrench," Karina ordered, her tone clipped.

Winter raised an eyebrow but grabbed the tool from the kit and handed it over. Their fingers brushed, and Winter recoiled like she'd been burned, muttering something about "icy hands."

Karina allowed herself the faintest smirk. "Maybe if you did something instead of complaining, you wouldn't be cold."

To her surprise, Winter crouched beside her. "Fine. Move over. Let me see this thing."

Karina hesitated, caught off guard by the determination in Winter's voice. For all her rebelliousness, the girl had a spark-a raw energy that, with the right direction, could be incredible.

"Careful," Karina murmured, watching as Winter fiddled with the wires.

Winter shot her a glare. "I know what I'm doing. Sort of."

Ningning's laughter echoed through the room as Winter accidentally short-circuited the heater, sending a small spark flying. Karina pulled Winter back by the collar of her shirt just in time.

"Careful!" Karina snapped, her usual composure slipping.

"Relax! I'm fine!" Winter shot back, brushing her singed fingers against her pants.

Karina rolled her eyes, exasperation flickering with the faintest hint of relief. "You're hopeless."

It took another thirty minutes of trial and error-Ningning eventually googling a step-by-step guide while Yuna narrated encouragement from her blanket cocoon-but the team finally got the heater working.

As the warmth seeped back into the room, Winter sank onto the couch with a triumphant smirk. "See? Told you I could help."

Karina shook her head, her expression unreadable. "You're a liability," she muttered, but there was no heat in her words.

Winter caught the faintest twitch of Karina's lips and, for the first time, thought maybe-just maybe-there was more to her than the cold, calculating leader she pretended to be.

The heater hummed warmly in the corner, finally fixed, and the dorm felt more like a livable space again. Karina stretched her arms above her head, exhaustion weighing down her every movement. It was past lights-out, and she was ready to retreat to the quiet solace of her room.

But, of course, peace was never an option with this team.

"Let's watch a movie!" Ningning declared, flopping onto the couch dramatically.

Karina raised a brow. "It's past lights-out. You know the rules."

Yuna poked her head out of her blanket cocoon, eyes gleaming with mischief. "Oh, come on, boss. It's too early to sleep, and besides, we just fixed the heater. What's the harm in celebrating a little?"

Karina pinched the bridge of her nose. "The harm is that you'll be dead on your feet during training tomorrow."

Ningning waved her hand dismissively. "Pfft. Training, schmeaning. We'll be fine. Right, Winter?"

Winter, sprawled across the armchair, looked up from her phone with a scowl. "Don't drag me into this. I don't care what you do as long as you keep it down."

Ningning's eyes lit up with mock innocence. "Oh, but you'll care when you're left out. Imagine this: all of us bonding, laughing, having a good time, and you? Sitting here all alone, grumpy as ever."

"Exactly," Yuna chimed in, "You don't want to be left out, do you?"

Karina crossed her arms. "Enough. Lights out-"

Before she could finish, Ningning and Yuna grabbed the remote, turned on the TV, and flung themselves onto the couch with exaggerated glee. They shared a blanket, wrapping themselves up so tightly they looked like a single entity.

"See?" Ningning said, smugly adjusting the blanket. "We're sharing. Problem solved!"

Karina glared at the two of them, her patience visibly thinning. "You're doing this on purpose."

"We would never," Yuna replied, her grin far too innocent to be believable.

Karina sighed heavily and glanced at Winter, who was already groaning in protest. "Guess we're sharing," Winter muttered, grabbing the remaining blanket and slumping onto the couch beside Karina.

The two sat at opposite ends, as far apart as the couch allowed, their mutual annoyance palpable.

The movie started-a cheesy action flick Yuna had chosen. Ningning and Yuna immediately got comfortable, practically glued to each other as they whispered, giggled, and occasionally threw popcorn in each other's mouths.

Karina sat rigidly, arms crossed, her eyes trained on the screen but her attention clearly elsewhere. Winter slouched next to her, glaring at the TV like it had personally offended her.

"This is ridiculous," Winter muttered under her breath.

Karina's lips twitched, but she kept her gaze forward. "Agreed."

As the movie progressed, Ningning and Yuna's antics grew louder. They shouted at the characters, cheered during explosions, and at one point, Ningning threw popcorn at Karina's head to get her attention.

"Lighten up, boss!" Ningning said with a grin. "You look like you're watching a funeral."

Karina shot her a cold glare but didn't respond.

Despite herself, Winter started to relax, the chaos around her becoming oddly familiar. She glanced at Karina, who was still sitting stiffly, and sighed.

"Here," Winter said, tossing part of the blanket toward Karina.

Karina hesitated, then took it with a nod of acknowledgment. They didn't speak, but for the first time that night, the tension between them seemed to ease-just a little.

By the end of the movie, Ningning and Yuna were asleep, tangled together in a pile of blankets and popcorn. Karina turned off the TV, her movements careful not to wake them.

Winter yawned, stretching her arms above her head. "Well, that was... something."

Karina glanced at her, the faintest hint of a smirk playing on her lips. "Something, indeed."

For a moment, there was an almost peaceful silence between them. Then Winter ruined it.

"Next time, you're sitting with them," she said, jerking her thumb toward Ningning and Yuna.

Karina raised a brow. "Not a chance."

Winter groaned but didn't argue, already retreating to her room. As Karina headed to hers, she couldn't help but think that, for all their antics, her team might just be starting to feel like... a team.