Mai's voice died in her throat.
She stood frozen in the doorway, her hand resting on the brass knob. Her eyes widened, locked on the sight of her twin sister straddling their shared boyfriend in nothing but a sports bra. Both of them were breathing heavily in the dark.
Maki froze, her eyes snapping open. Her lips were swollen and shiny in the dim light, and a violent, fiery red flush rapidly crawled up her neck and across her face.
Ren just let his head drop back against the mattress with a long, heavy sigh.
Mai took a quick step backward into the hallway. "Sorry," she mumbled, her face flushing deep red.
"Wrong timing."
She started to pull the heavy door shut.
"Wait," Ren said. He pushed himself up onto his elbows.
Maki scrambled off him instantly. She shifted to the edge of the mattress, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. She shot a sharp glare toward the far wall, refusing to look anywhere near the open doorway.
Mai paused. Her grip loosened on the brass doorknob. The deep red flush on her cheeks quickly faded, replaced by a very familiar, teasing smirk.
"Anyway," Mai said, leaning her shoulder against the wooden frame. "That blonde Special Grade... Yuki. She's looking for you down in the main hall. Said it was important."
Her eyes dropped deliberately to Maki's bare shoulders, then to the ruined uniform scattered across the floorboards. "So, you two can finish having sex later."
"We weren't—!" Maki whipped her head around, her face burning significantly hotter than before.
"Right. Of course not." Mai waved a hand dismissively, not hiding her amusement at all. "Just aggressively testing the mattress springs in the dark. I get it."
Letting out a slow breath, Ren sat up completely and ran a hand through his messy hair. The heavy, heated tension in the room instantly evaporated, replaced by the cold reality of the ruined city outside.
If Yuki Tsukumo was looking for him right now, their stolen moment of peace was officially over.
Reaching down, he picked up his discarded jacket from the floor and pulled it over his shoulders.
"Tell her I'll be right down," he said.
Ren slipped past Mai and disappeared down the dark corridor.
Waiting until the sound of his boots faded down the stairs, she slid off the mattress. She scooped the dusty undershirt off the floorboards, yanked it over her head, and snatched up her torn uniform jacket. Shoving her arms through the sleeves, she marched straight toward the door.
Her twin was still leaning against the frame, arms crossed, a smug little smile firmly plastered across her face.
Stopping inches away, Maki stood just tall enough to force her to look up. Her hand shot out, flicking the younger girl squarely in the center of her forehead.
Smack.
"Ow!" Mai stumbled backward into the hall, clapping a hand over the fast-forming red mark. "What is your problem?!"
"Your mouth is running wild lately," Maki said, her voice dropping into a flat, even warning. "Don't forget who the older sister is."
Glaring right back from behind her hand, Mai scoffed. "You're older by three minutes. And I didn't say anything that wasn't true."
Stepping out into the hallway, Maki forced her twin to back up another step, adjusting the collar of her jacket.
"Keep making comments," Maki said, walking past her toward the stairs, "and I'll throw you out the window."
Lowering her hand to rub the red spot on her skin, she rolled her eyes, completely unfazed by the threat. "Whatever. I'm just calling it like I see it. It's not my fault you forgot to lock the door."
A tight muscle jumped in Maki's jaw.
Leaning in a little closer, Mai dropped her voice into a teasing whisper. "Come on. You were definitely about to do it, right?"
Maki stopped at the top of the stairs. She didn't hit her this time. Instead, she slowly turned back around, her amber eyes narrowing into a dangerous, defiant glare.
"So what if we were?" she shot back, crossing her arms. "What about it?"
Caught off guard by the blunt honesty, Mai blinked. Then, recovering her footing, she let out a dry, sarcastic scoff. She leaned her hip against the wall, looking her sister up and down.
"Nothing," Mai drawled, waving a hand dismissively. "I just figured I'd save him the disappointment. I can already guess you're terrible in bed. All that brute strength and zero finesse. You probably move like a cinderblock."
Maki's eyes flashed. She took a step back up the stairs, getting right back into her sister's space.
"I have perfect physical control," she hissed, her face burning, though she refused to back down. "And at least I have the stamina to last more than five minutes without passing out. How are you even going to keep up with him with that pathetic cardio of yours?"
"Excuse me?" Mai gasped, her own face turning bright red at the direct hit. "I am incredibly flexible! And I actually know what I'm doing, unlike a certain meathead who only knows how to swing a heavy stick!"
"Oh, you want to test that right now?" Maki threatened, cracking her knuckles.
"Try it!"
They stood there at the top of the dark staircase, both of them red in the face, glaring daggers at each other in the exact same stubborn, infuriating way.
...
Half an hour later, the stairs creaked under the weight of heavy boots.
Pushing the bedroom door open revealed a room completely stripped of sound. By the window, staring out at the thick columns of smoke rising over the city, arms were crossed tight over a torn uniform jacket. Slouched in the armchair near the foot of the bed, one leg dangled carelessly over the armrest as a thumbnail picked at a bit of dirt.
The door clicked shut into the frame.
A single breath was drawn to speak, but the words never materialized.
Movement blurred away from the window. Two silent, blindingly fast strides closed the gap. Palms slammed flat into the center of his chest, violently forcing his weight backward.
Stumbling, the back of his knees caught the edge of the mattress. Gravity tipped him backward until his shoulders hit the sheets. There wasn't even a second spared to sit up. Weight settled immediately over his hips as knees planted firmly on either side of him. Hands pressed down into his shoulders, pinning him to the mattress.
Fierce amber eyes cut straight down into his.
"Don't say a single word," Maki warned, the command dropping into a rough whisper.