Smile. Get the hand ahead. Hold his palm. Squeeze it. Release.

Automatic. The automatic gestures, but so fucking hard to do.

Did Marat know? Is he's a hunter too?

Long ago, Ran showed him the most famous and well known vampire hunters from all over the world. There were not a lot of them, just a dozen of faces.

Vampires are not really wide spread in the world. They try to avoid overly hot and overly cold climate and places where people are tend to stick together. You barely find a vampire in some African tribe or a small village in Siberia, like the ones Tsukki has seen on the way here.

It's more comfortable to feed in the average and big cities. True, due to the raising amount of cameras, you have to think more about where you're going to find the food and the way to lure the person into the space where the Big Brother's eyes are not going to pry on you. But as most vampires are now tend to keep a certain amount of people they feed on constantly, you gotta be in trouble only if you decide to kill someone on the street like Ran, the day Tsukki met him.

So vampire hunters are usually people who survived the interaction with some random vampire and were meant to be killed. Or whose close people got injured or dead by a vampire. The first group was the biggest - it's natural for a human to seek revenge. A lot of them made it their life purpose, even if they led absolutely trash life before it. The second group was smaller. Normally, it was hard to get the evidence of what happened to be a vampire attack unless you've became a witness.

Kentaro was the rarity. To have the whole family of vampire hunters - there were only three like this in the world. And the another one was Suvorov's family.

All of it comes in flashes in Tsukki's mind. How come he didn't ever asked Marat's second name? He was never interested in it, never could assume he get himself, with his own hands between a nail and a hammer. That must be it, the real reason why Marat went to Irkutsk - to get his brother to help to kill Tsukki.

"Hey, you look nervous," Tsukki flinches as Marat slapping his shoulder. "Is there anything wrong?"

'Nothing besides I probably won't fucking survive this winter,' Tsukki thinks and comes up with a lousy excuse. "I was just worried maybe there're some robbers got into the house. And I didn't sleep well while you were away, so I guess it made me all jumpy."

"Do you have a crush on my baby brother?" Vladimir winks to him. "Couldn't sleep without him?" He got smacked in the head by Marat immediately.

"Stop insinuating, it's nothing like that!"

"Oh, baby brother, are you guarding the honour of your boyfriend?" Vladimir laughs out loud, shuffling Marat's hair like he's a seven year old kid and Tsukki somehow feels the tight spot in his chest loosen up. Surely they wouldn't joke around like this if they were sensing any danger from him?

'Hell yeah they could,' someone is whispering in his mind and Tsukki recognise Ran's voice. 'Good hunters don't live long being bad actors. They make sure you believe their lies and wrap you around their fingers in no second. You should never put your defence down if you encounter one. Bad hunters are easy to kill, but good... Usually they kill you before you even realise that's a hunter.'

"I'm going back to sleep," Tsukki fakes a yawn, though he feels far away from relax and watching dreams.

"Yeah, we're gonna go to sleep too as soon as we'll unpack all the stuff. By the way, thanks for making the road and keeping it clean," Marat beams at him and Tsukki waves off: "Not to worry," and gets back up the stairs.

Fuck as hell, he's gonna blink an eye this night!

He's gotta think how not to look suspicious about getting away from the house. If he's gonna just jump out of the window, Vladimir might get a hint something's not quite right and investigate more on his matter. Hopefully he isn't some friend of Kentaro's and Kyoushi didn't send him photo.

Tsukki hit himself with the palm! How did he manage to get from one tight spot to another within a mere two weeks? What kind of luck is that?! Someone like Ran probably would be over the moon having a chance to take down a hunter. But Tsukki didn't feel he's able to do that.

Especially when he hasn't had even a bite of the real food for so long.

The stomach gurgles agreeing with the thought.

"I have to ask Ran about what to do," Tsukki thinks, it seems the only right thing. He hasn't contacted Ran since he left Japan. His sire kept texting him and leaving missed calls, but Tsukki didn't feel like he's ready to open up his whereabouts. What if Ran will decide to come here as well? He might've got the tail. 'Or he might wanted to hurt Marat as there no one is around for miles,' the voice in his head nagging him.

But now the situation is tough and Tsukki didn't realise he was holding breath until he sighed out heavily watching three dots jumping in the messenger window.

03:12, Ran: Have any weapons on you?

Ran doesn't say "hi", doesn't ask for Tsukki state, he gets right to the point of helping him.

03:12, You: Nope. But I guess I can find something

03:13, Ran: No, Tsukki, I mean rn, if they'll attack you tonight

03:13, You: Nothing

03:13, Ran: Is there any chance you can lock the door and maybe block it?

03:14, You: I'll try. Text you in the morning. If there any for me

03:14, Ran: Ok. Keep safe.

The room isn't big enough to keep some heavy furniture. So Tsukki manages to move a bed table as close and silent as possible to the entrance. Even if they'll get through, he gonna hear them and at least he could get out of the window.

The window!

Tsukki lunges through the room and turns the handle. It doesn't moves an inch, frozen or blocked from opening. Whatever reason, Tsukki feels himself trapped. The same panic that flooded him when he jumped out of the restaurant in Tokyo is now flooding him and he grits teeth and runs the room with a desperate and wild stare. His breathing is heavy and the blood is pumping in the temples.

'Fuck! It's better to calm down.' But he feels tears stinging the eyes and holds himself just in time for not to slam the fist on the glass.

The second look he gives the room, finds a bookshelf he might use to break the glass. The next - penholder. Well, that's no match for a gun, but still may help to fight.

The rest of the night he spends sitting in his bed, fully dressed and dozing on and off, holding sharpened pencils in his hands.

***
When he wakes up, it's 8 am. The sun is brightening happily the corners of his room. It's been more than two weeks Tsukki since has seen it and he smiles, thinking it's a good sign. He listens carefully - there's no sound around the house and he decides to get down to check out the ground.

He founds Vladimir sleeping on the couch, his arms and legs spread wide, the trickle of spit dried down at the corner of the lip. He wonders why he didn't use another guest room Marat has in the house. The TV turned on might be an answer, but Tsukki feels it isn't the only reason.

He sneaks into the kitchen trying to make as less noise as possible. Pours water into the kettle. Hears the footsteps from the room behind. Swears in his mind.

"You're up?' Vladimir shows up in the door stand. He stretches the muscles and scratches the belly. His t-shirt draws up and Tsukki notices the long scar crossing the skin. It starts from the hipbone and goes up, under the printed canva. "Sorry we woke you up at night."

"No worries. What got you?" Tsukki nods on the marked skin. "Looks like katana or sword."

'Nah, just knife. Though the blade was long enough to count it for a sword, I guess? Will you make tea for me too? Please?"

"Sure." Morning tea with the head of vampire hunters in Russia. Isn't it the sweetest way to start the day?

They're sipping the scolding tea. For Tsukki it's a necessity - long time without food needs him to get external warming. Vladimir just likes it like that.

"Marat told you've had some problems with Yakuza?"

Tsukki nods.

"My baby brother sometimes is too generous and compassionate," the expression in Tsukki's face hardens. "He doesn't think that your actions may affect him too now."

"But you do." Tsukki answers carefully.

"I always do. My... Occupation and lifestyle are not the ones that will keep him safe for long if I wouldn't take care of it."

Does that mean Marat doesn't know what his brother do?

"I see," Tsukki indicates sheepishly. But he sees the opportunity in the words and grabs the chance. "I care about it too. I can leave. I was intending anyway."

Vladimir smirks, his gaze is heavy. The sense of foreboding fills Tsukki's body.
"The thing is, Tsukki," Vladimir pauses and the whole room squeezes to the size of windpipe, when Tsukki hears the words. "The damage is done already."

The silence is ringing.

"So, Tsukki, how do you know Kyoushi Kentaro?"