"Viktor, put on some tea for me." Glancing up at his sister, Viktor scoffed. He was upside down on his bed, trying to stretch out his sore and bruised back.

"Put some on yourself," he replied, his voice strained. The pain of the day seemed to be coming back full force. It took all the strength he had to not fall.

"What a bum," she said, leaving his small room. The words weren't true, though, and Viktoria knew it. Her brother wasn't a selfish person, but he wasn't one to put himself in harm's way, either. Viktoria headed down the narrow staircase, her feet careful and quick. She didn't mind making her own tea, but always liked to ask others due to her laziness at times.

To an outsider, it may seem like the two were always bickering. In truth, it was how they showed affection for the other. The two 19-year-olds only had each other in this world where death claimed everyone they loved.

The sharp ring of the doorbell caused Viktoria to mentally stumble. It was 10 o'clock, and they never had guests.

"Who's that?" Viktor called from upstairs. He may be worn and tired, but Viktor could be downstairs in an instant if a threat happened to be outside.

"Maybe it's another one," Viktoria answered, walking down the short hallway.

"We just got back from a hunt, though. There's at least 48 hours until the next one," Viktor's voice echoed throughout the house.

"Just say two days," Viktoria called out, a small smile on her face. "No need to be so technical."

She unlocked the entrance's multiple locks before opening the heavy door. The cold winter air hit her in the face, and she froze as she looked into the dark eyes of a young man.

Removing his black mouth mask, he revealed a pierced nose and smiling lips. Strands of his reddish-brown hair fell on one side of his face, while the other side was cut closer to his head.

"Hello," he said, looking her up and down once. His smile turned into a smirk at the look of surprise on her face. A young man at her door, and a handsome one, at that.

"H-hi," Viktoria answered. "Do I know you?" She suddenly felt insecure with her round glasses on and her large knit sweater. If she knew this person would show up, she would've at least put on some makeup.

She would never admit it, but Viktoria felt as if she wasn't the most attractive person.

"Can I come in? It's quite cold out here," he responded, ignoring the question.

"Uh, yeah, come in," she said, stepping out of the way. It seemed rude to turn such a pretty boy away, especially since it was so cold outside and he was wearing a light jacket.

Viktor heard the door shut, along with a new voice. A male voice. He contemplated for a moment if he should get up or not. It could just be a friend.

He heard Viktoria gasp in surprise, and sounds of glass hitting a hard surface.

Getting up from his bed, he headed downstairs to see who their "guest" was. His body still ached, but his nervousness overpowered the pain he felt.

The stranger was sitting in a small living room, but looked up when he heard someone come down the stairs in a hurry. He was greeted with the sight of sweatpants, a plain white shirt, and pale blue eyes.

Viktor and the stranger locked eyes before Viktoria came out of the kitchen, grabbing both of their attention. She was only focused on the young male instead of her brother, though.

"The tea will be ready in a minute, but I almost broke the fancy cups getting them down, so you owe me," she said, smiling at the stranger. Viktor coughed, and she turned to acknowledge him.

She seemed calm on the outside, but her heart was racing. Viktor was the one person who could always see the true purpose of why she did certain things.

"Ah, Viktor, this is Ruby," Viktoria explained, wishing that Viktor's cold stare would look away from her. She could sense the questions he wanted to ask, but knew he wouldn't say anything in front of Ruby. "He used to go to the same high school as us."

"Uh, I don't know this guy," Viktor said quietly, raising an eyebrow. "Was he one of your lovers or something?" His answer was a smack on the arm, along with Viktoria's flushed face.

"Pleasure to meet you, Viktor," Ruby said, pronouncing his name with exaggeration. He stood up, took a few steps, and held out his hand. He had almond eyes and a sly smile, as if he knew something they didn't.

"Same to you," Viktor answered cautiously, shaking his hand.

"He needs a place to stay for a few days, so he'll be staying with us," Viktoria said. Viktor glanced over at his sister, starting to realize what was happening.

"Where can he stay? We don't have an extra room, that couch isn't very comfortable, and he certainly isn't staying in your room," Viktor argued with a calm tone and expression. His sister hasn't been this obvious that she likes someone since they were teenagers.

"He can stay in your room," she answered, as if the answer was simple. Which it wasn't.

"I'm not sleeping on the couch," Viktor stated.

"We can share," Ruby spoke up. Viktor stared at him, and Ruby smirked. "We're both guys, so it's not like we'll be doing anything other than sleeping. Unless you want to."

"What?" Viktor asked, his eyes wide. It was as if Viktoria hadn't heard what Ruby said. She still seemed nonchalant, and Ruby had turned his attention away from Viktor.

"That seems to work out just fine," Viktoria said. "Now, I'm gonna order a pizza. You'll probably have to go out to get it for me. Think of it as a bonding trip." She pulled out her phone and headed into the kitchen again.

"Did you say-" Viktor started, but Ruby shook his head.

"We can talk more about that later," he interrupted. "I'm freezing, do you have a bath?" Ruby started up the stairs, brushing past Viktor.

Viktor was shocked. So it wasn't his imagination; Ruby had acknowledged what he said. As his heart started to beat faster, Viktor forced himself to calm down.

With no other choice, Viktor followed after him.