Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"The Blood God"... It's a well deserved, yet sometimes hurtful nickname he has earned throughout the centuries, given to him by the humans.
Don't get him wrong, Techno fully understands it. After all, he has gained the reputation of a cold blooded murderer and for the most part, he is one.

Still, he'd be lying if he said that the chanting of it didn't get tiring sometimes.
The people treated him as if he wasn't a person, as if he didn't have a consienceness or morals, just a cold-blooded blood sucker and that's it. They weren't wrong, but it was still annoying to hear it.

Technoblade likes to pretend it doesn't bother him anymore, that he doesn't care about it. Pretending makes it easier for when he spills their blood on the city pavement.

It isn't all guilt and stress inducing though, he has a lot of good in his life too.
His sire, his father, is a great example of that. He'd never admit to it, but there's a soft purr he needs to subdue every time the old blond scrapes his scalp with his fingers, during those quiet nights with his fellow coven members, his brothers, laying on the comfortable couch in a pile of cold warmth with him.

And his brothers... He'd never say it out loud, but he would do anything for them, bring them any riches they desire, slay whatever beast they want to be slain, anything.
He loves them, even if he can't really convey it verbally, he tries to show it in other ways.
As much as they love to tease him and as much as he pretends to hate them, they all know it. They understand how he feels even when he has a hard time verbalizing it.
It warms his unbeating heart.

Wilbur has always been a charming and mischievous fellow. Even before Phil turned him, he always knew how to manipulate a situation even without powers, it was impressive.
It's actually how Technoblade first met him. Wilbur maneged to trick him, he dared to trick the blood god, a well known dangerous vampire, he manipulated him.
And Techno didn't even notice until his dear sire, Phil, pointed it out.
To say that the The Blood God and The Angel Of Death were impressed would be an understatement. Wilbur did something that caught both of them so off guard, and without hesitation too. They were intrigued by him, no, that's not the right word, no, they wanted him. They wanted Wilbur to be like them, to be a part of their family.
So Phil did just that, he welcomed him into his coven, he turned him, and Wilbur became his son, Techno's brother. It was a bit odd at first, to have another addition to the family after decades of it just being Phil and Techno, it took him a short while to get used to it, but it did go uphill from there.
Wilbur has charming powers now, he doesn't really use them much though, he never really needed them, he has always been a charming and mischievous fellow.

Tommy was the youngest addition to their family, they'd met him a number of decades after Wilbur got turned. He's only been a vampire for a few years now. He's a handful, sure, but the coven loves him all the same.
Believe it or not, back when he was still human, he was a vampire hunter. It's ironic, really, that he bumped into Wilbur of all people and that they became practically brothers.
Now It wasn't that he was naive or unobservant, no, he was just a bit... dense in that moment... He just didn't realize that the tall doe eyed friendly man he befriended was the beast he was supposed to slay.
And Wilbur... Wilbur got attached quickly.
They'd spend hours together on the daily,
Tommy would sharpen his small blades while Wilbur played his guitar near him.
It was peaceful, and Tommy felt safe around the creature he was raised to hate and kill.
Wilbur begged Philza and Techno to meet him in person. "You have too see him!" He would say, "You'd love him!" He'd exclaim, "You'll find him a bit annoying at first, but he'd a make an amazing little brother!" He promised.
And he was right, after a lot of meetings under the disguise of humans, Phil and Techno were entranced by the loud child, they got just as attached as Wilbur and the thought of their young human, their Tommy, being sent into danger with other vampire hunters filled them with dread and anger.
No, they couldn't let that happen, they couldn't lose Tommy.
So, on one dark night, Wilbur offered the boy to spend the night at their place, "It's too dark outside, you'll get lost, you stupid gremlin. You can just leave in the morning." and again, Wilbur didn't need to use his powers for Tommy to agree.
And well, it's history from there, to say the least, Tommy didn't leave in the morning.
And the the family was overjoyed to welcome the golden haired bundle of joy into their home family.

Techno doesn't like thinking about his life before he was a vampire, back when he was human, it was a long time ago and he hates remembering the events that lead up to him meeting his sire, Philza.
Phil had been the best thing that ever happened to him, he flew down from the skies with dark wings and sharp talons. A creature worthy of its reputation, a man worthy of his name, The Angel Of Death is what they called him.
He remembers being afraid at first, absolutely terrified at first glance, those fears were quickly pushed aside as he felt two kind arms wrap around him. He was hugging him, the angel of death was hugging him.
Technoblade was always told that the angel of death was emotionless, that the creature would kill him with no hesitation, that it would hurt too.
But he's never felt more safe then in that moment. And sue him, he melted in the embrace and fell asleep in the man's arms, he couldn't help it. unbeknown to him, that was the moment Phil decided to keep him, to turn him.
By the time he woke up, he was no longer human.
Techno's dead heart almost beats at the warm memory.

Honestly, even with all the hurtful nicknames he has gotten over the years and the reputation of a non-feeling monster, Technoblade was content. He loved his family. Even if he didn't always show it in obvious ways, he never needed to, they understood him enough, and he was so thankful for that.

Still, there was an ache in his unbeating heart, he craved another thing, though he couldn't understand what.
so he's ignoring that craving... for now.

----------x-----------

Ranboo didn't remember anything from his early childhood. No mother or father that he knew of. To his knowledge, he might've always been alone.
He always tried to be gentle with people, no matter who they were, he always tried to treat them with kindness.
His memory is faulty at best, so he keeps a memory book always on his person. He goes to school and he works at a bakery owned by a kind lady by the name of Niki. Said kind lady feeds on human blood once in a while, but he doesn't need to know that... for now...
And after the long day ends, he returns to his home, to his small apartment with his lovely cat, Enderchest.
He does his homework, makes some food, and goes to sleep, repeating the same actions in the following days.

However, lately, things have been... on edge, so to speak... Some folks have claimed to catch sightings of the SBI coven.
Upon hearing the news, the citizens of L'manburg fell into a bit of a panic and group of vampire hunters was called into town, calling themselves "the butcher army". They inspected a lot of buildings and listened to a bunch of statements. They found nothing but remained in town to continue their investigation.

If you would've asked Ranboo, this was unnecessary. Sure, he didn't know anything about this 'SBI coven' but they can't be that bad, right? In his mindset, as long as you don't provoke anyone, there's no reason for them to provoke you back.
'If you hunt the vampires, they'll hunt you right back.'
Still, he couldn't really do anything about it other then wait for their investigation to be over. In the meantime, everything else seemed normal. School was still tough, his cat was still soft, and Niki's pastries were still incredible.
Everything still felt normal to him despite to slight tension in the air.

----------x-----------

How was he supposed to know that he'd catch the eye of one of the vampires from said SBI coven?

Chapter Text

Ranboo looked out from his apartment's small window. The streets were a lot emptier then they usually are at this time. It's always so loud out there, with people coming home from early work shifts and people going to their night shifts, along with the children and teenagers on their way home from school.

But not today, today the streets were practically empty. It was probably related to all the sudden rumors of coven sightings along with vampire hunters questioning every person they come across.

Workers called in sick to work, parents called their children's school to tell them they won't come into class today, no kids were playing in the playground. Hell, even the alleyways were completely empty without anyone taking their usual shortcuts.

At first, Ranboo thought that it's kinda silly, that this was kind of an overreaction on the people's part. He's never seen a town so scared of a vampire coven.

Sure, people were always wary, but never to this degree, it hasn't been this bad in years.

So after some thought, he decided to at least be careful and watchful of his surroundings.
Those small precautions were practically thrown out the window when the new Vampire hunters in town sent out an announcement about an early time curfew.

"Please return to your homes by 6-7 o'clock in the evening. The sun will set and the coven could go on a hunt, you don't wanna be outside when they start. This isn't mandatory, but it's for your safety so we highly encourage you to be cautious and to listen to our warnings, it's our job to keep you safe."

Ranboo frowned when he read the message. He couldn't just stop everything in his life because of these rumors, he has to go to work, he needs to pay his rent! And well, if vampires killed him on the way to work, then rent wouldn’t be a problem anymore, now would it.
Worry overtook him. Does this mean that Niki would close her bakery early? His shift usually starts at 5PM and ends at 9PM. It's pretty late hours but Niki pays him really well and if he doesn't work there, he might not be able to pay off his landlord.

He was caught up in his thoughts when his phone rang. He took the device out from his jeans back pocket. The caller ID showed a picture of a goofy-looking muffin with googly eyes glued on the frosting, with the name "Niki (cool lady!)" under it.
Ranboo winced, 'this is it.' he thought. 'She's calling to let me know not to come into work, I'm not gonna be able to pay off my apartment this month, shoot.' He warily accepted the call.

"Hello?" He wished he sounded less stressed out when he answered.

"Hi Ranboo, it's good to hear you!" He heard a soft voice reply from the other side of the line, seemingly uneasy.

"Are you coming into work today?"

Ranboo paused. 'work?' "Work?" He vocalized his thoughts.

"Yes, I wanted to check if you were still coming in today even with that curfew hanging over our heads. But I completely understand if you don't feel up to it right now, with all the rumors flying around-"

he interrupted her halfway through the sentence "Yes, of course, I'll come in!"

He could make out a sigh of relief from the other side of the line. "Good, I was a bit worried. The others called in to tell me they wouldn't make it today so I could really use the extra hands on deck, thank you Ranboo, I mean it." She exclaimed. "Of course! I'll do what I can to help." He stammered a bit.

If smiles were audible, Niki's would be heard loud and clear through the phone with Ranboo.

"Thank you Ranboo" her voice was soft and filled with relief "Tell you what, since you'll be doing more work then usual for a while, I'll pay you extra for these next few days, how does that sound? Fair?" Ranboo practically beamed at the offer.

They said their goodbyes and he quickly hung up the phone. Hearing a soft purr from below, he looked down to see his cat, Enderchest, rubbing her head against his legs.
Ranboo chuckles softly, before picking her up gently and placing a short kiss on her soft forehead, her black fur warm under his palms. "I need to go, Enderchest. I won't be back until night so behave yourself." The cat only tilted her head at him, staring into his soul with those big yellow eyes, purring at the physical contact.

Ranboo gently placed her back on the small couch and started to get ready for work.

The bakery's uniform was simple enough.
A white button up shirt with a maroon tie, black dress pants and a pair of cheap black dress shoes.

He glances at himself in the mirror and frowns a bit. He dyed his hair a while ago to half black and half white, split in the middle. He liked the way it made him look and he got plenty of compliments for it.

But his hair got a lot longer since then, and his dirty blond roots showed themselves, unnaturally fading into his dyed hair. It also looked like he had a bit of a mullet going for him.

Letting out a sigh, he picked up a hair tie and pulled his hair back into a small ponytail, it didn't do much, but it pulled his hair back enough to not cover his tired looking eyes so much.

Coming out of the bathroom, he grabbed his keys and tossed them in a small green-leather messenger bag, with one strap over his shoulder, he waved his goodbye to Enderchest and went out the apartment's door, having to slightly duck under the door frame to pass through, he locked it behind him and started walking towards the bakery.
----------x-----------
It was cold outside, way colder than he expected.
He should've really brought his jacket.

Ranboo slightly cursed his bad memory, he forgot the jacket was draped on the couch before he left. He tried rubbing his shoulders for warmth but it didn't do much.

Deciding to try and distract himself from the cold, he glances down at the tiles on the pathway and starts counting them without looking up to see where he's going. He knows the way to Niki's bakery like the back of his hand. It's one of the only things his subconsciousness couldn't forget, a simple fact that his mind acknowledged, it honestly warmed his heart a bit.

But as they say, you should always look where you're going. Being so distracted never ends well.

After a while of walking, he bumped into someone seemingly making the same mistake.
The two went flying forward, though it seems his counterpart caught himself before almost hitting the ground.

Ranboo didn't catch himself.
Ranboo felt his face hit the pavement.

Small tears gathered up at the edges of his eyes as he felt a sharp pain in his nose.
"Holy shit dude, I'm so sorry-" Ranboo looks up at the voice and sees an arm extended towards him.

"I wasn't paying attention at all, you good??" Ranboo grabbed the offered hand for support as he got hauled up.
It takes him a moment to balance himself as he tries to stand up, before stumbling and almost falling again. This time however, a pair of hands caught him by the arm before the fall, and he got hauled up again.

As he finally stood up, he threw a glance at the person, finally taking in their appearance.

He didn't recognize him, so he must've been new around here.

The man was shorter than him, a lot shorter than him. He had a dark blue beanie covering most of his head, with dark strands of hair sticking out from the front. Brown eyes that seemed to inspect him for any injuries as he inspected him back.
He was definitely more dressed for this weather than Ranboo, he wore a thick blue track jacket along with black fingerless gloves on each hand, and there was a shining axe strapped to his back as he stood there.

However, a most notable feature of his caught Ranboo's eye.

A long scar starting just below his lip and reaching through his left eye and eyebrow.
A bit of his teeth were shown, even with his mouth closed.

Ranboo quickly glanced away, 'it's rude to stare at people's scars' he reminded himself.

"Fuck, dude, your nose!" the man exclaimed. Ranboo reached his fingers to touch below his nostrils, only for them to come back quickly, covered in a deep red liquid.
"Oh shoot-" he panicked a bit as his nosebleed got worse. "Hey hey hey, it's okay, lemme just-" the man reached into one of his track jacket's pockets, taking out a small tissue packet and opening it, extending a couple for Ranboo to grab.

Ranboo gently snatched them from his hand and went to cover his nose.

"Tilt your head up, it'll slow the bloodstream a bit" the short man reached his hand towards Ranboo's jaw, tilting it upwards. His grip was gentle but firm as he tried to help the nose-bleeding teen.

"I got it, I got it" Ranboo exclaimed in a panicked tone as he pulled away from the touch.
The short man took a few steps back to give him some space to balance himself. "I am so fucking sorry, you okay there?" He asked him again. "Ye-yeah, I'm good, I think I'm good" he repeated himself, still trying to catch his breath.

They stood there in silence for a few moments before the shorter man broke the ice.
"Sorry man, what's your name?" He asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "Ran-Ranboo, my name is Ranboo'' he answered, hand still pressing the pile of tissues against his nose. "Yours?" He asked in turn. The man blinked a few times, processing the question for a few seconds, before answering "Oh uh, I'm Quackity, I'm new in town." Confirming Ranboo's suspicion from earlier.

The man- Quackity, put his hand back on Ranboo's shoulder, stopping him from falling again. It was a bit awkward with their height difference, but it worked and he didn't fall. Ranboo was silently thankful for it, relieved that his face won't make contact with the ground again.

Quackity pulled him down to sit on the pavement with him as he patted Ranboo's back a couple times.

"Everything's okay?" "Mhm, Yup, it's all good, I'm actually good, I'm sorry." he apologized quickly, still a bit on edge. The short man frowned a bit with his scarred lip, answering "No no, don't apologize, I should've been paying attention to my surroundings, it's literally my job, sorry man." He countered.

With Quackity's hand still on his back, he tilted his head back into its original position, pulling the tissue away from his nose to see the blood stain on it. The bleeding seems to have stopped for the most part.

Some of the blood was still dried up beneath his nostril but he couldn't bring himself to care enough to scrape it off.

He glanced back up at the Quackity, who caught his eyes halfway, his non-scarred eye meeting Ranboo's stare.
Ranboo quickly glanced away, he was never a fan of eye contact.

"If you don't mind me asking kid, what are you doing out here this late? there's a time curfew for a reason, y'know?" Quackity asked.

It took Ranboo a few moments to answer "Well uh, the message said it wasn't mandatory, and I still have work so... I'm on my way to work... My boss is waiting for me." He added that last part in his answer just in case. After all, he didn't really know this man, he could be a kidnapper for all he knew! Telling an abductor that there's someone waiting for them usually makes them back off.

Quackity seemed to frown at his answer, his brows furrowing. "Sure, it ain't mandatory, but It's there for your safety, man. There's vampires roaming free right now, we just want to protect you guys."

Wait... 'We?' Ranboo questioned himself.

oh.
OH.

The cogs turned in Ranboo's head as they clicked together and he connected the dots.

Quackity was new in town, he was roaming the streets during the evening, he literally had an axe strapped to his back, and his face had a large scar on it.

The dots were connected.

Quackity is here with The Butcher Army.

An organization of vampire hunters that came into town to investigate the sudden spike in vampire coven sightings, specifically the SBI coven.
Ranboo felt a bit dumb that it took him this long to realize. But in his defense, he didn't have a lot of time to process the meeting, there was still a bit of blood dripping from his nose and his face ached.

"Are you here with the butcher army?" It was a dumb question, really, he already knew the answer. But it was a conversation starter, and Ranboo would do anything to stop the awkward silence he created.

"Yes, yes I am. The Butcher Army is here to protect you and your town. I understand if you don't follow the curfew, it isn't mandatory but it's there for a reason, man. Just be careful, 'kay?" Quackity spoke and Ranboo quickly nodded in response, bloody tissues still clutched in his hand.

There was a beat of silence before Quackity interrupted it again "Do you mind answering a few questions?" Ah, there it is, the interrogation.

Ranboo couldn't really blame him, after all, it's literally Quackity's job to investigate this sort of thing, so he slowly nodded at the man.

Quackity reached into his jacket's pocket, and took out a small, yellow page notepad before speaking up.

"Great. Now, Have you heard the rumors going around?"

"Yes."

"Do you believe in them?"

"I think so."

"Have you seen anything unusual in the area?"

"Other than the people's sudden change in behavior, no, but I'm pretty sure that's just cuz they're, y'know, afraid."

Quackity hummed a bit before continuing.

"Have you seen any new faces around lately? any unknown travelers claiming to pass through? New families moving into town?"

"I don't think I'm the right person to answer that one, I'm not good with remembering faces, so I wouldn't really know."

Quackity was silent for a moment before speaking up again

"Okay, final question, and this one is more out of personal curiosity, if you don't mind-" he stammered "have you seen anyone with long braided pink hair around? Pretty tall too?"

Ranboo pauses.

The only person that came to mind was Niki, with her pink hair. But the woman's hair was only long enough to tie into a bun, it's definitely not long enough to braid. Not to mention, she's very short, so she doesn't fit the description that much.

"No, sorry." He answered.

Quackity was silent for a few beats exhaling slightly.

Ranboo couldn't tell if it was a relieved exhale or a stress induced one.

He decided not to linger on it.

"Welp, thanks for your cooperation, kid. It's much appreciated." He patted Ranboo's back before extending his legs to stand up, with Ranboo doing the same a second later.

"By the way, cool hair, dude. It looks sick" "Thank-Thank you..."

Ranboo brushed some of the dust from his dress pants as Quackity inspected him, seemingly searching him for any missed injuries.

Ranboo saw Quackity stare at him for a bit from the corner of his eye, before the man broke eye contact to reach into his pocket again.

'How big are this man's pockets?' 'How much is stored in there?' 'Is it like a pocket dimension or something??'

Ranboo's thoughts were interrupted when the short man shoved something into Ranboo's palm and started walking the opposite direction of Ranboo's destination, the opposite way from the bakery.
"Be careful, man. Don't stay out too late." He heard him say before watching Quackity disappear behind a building after a turn.

Ranboo glanced down at his hand to see what Quackity has given him.

It was... a couple of bright yellow bandaids, with a drawing of a small yellow duck on each one...
Quackity just gave him a bunch of colorful band-aids.
Ranboo couldn't help the grin that appeared on his face as he put the bandages into his green messenger bag's pocket.

He continues walking towards Niki's bakery, looking forward this time.
----------x-----------
He was wrong earlier, when he thought the streets were quiet.

There was noise, it just wasn't from any person. The usual man-made noise was replaced by the cawing of crows around him as he walked towards the bakery.

'It's odd' Ranboo thinks 'There's never been this many crows in the area, really makes you wonder what brought them all here...'

His thoughts were once again interrupted, as a crow landed on the tall fence next to him, and just stared at him.

Ranboo paused, turning his head to look at the dark bird.

The crow tilts Its head to the side, eyeing Ranboo curiously.

Ranboo only tilts his head to the side in response, staring back to mimic the crow's motion.

A small smile tugged at the edges of his lips as he waved at it slightly, as to not startle it accidentally.

The bird stayed there for a few moments before descending into the air once more, cawing loudly.

Ranboo grabbed at the strap of his bag as he kept walking forward.
The sounds of dark birds filling the air.

Chapter Text

As Ranboo walked through the streets, the street lamp above him started up, shining a bright electric light onto him.
That's right, the sun was setting down, and the street lamps along the path began to glow.

If he squinted, he could make out the soft yellow light from Niki's bakery.
He grimaced at his still aching face. Still, he couldn't help the grin that made its way on his lips at the thought of seeing Niki again.

He reached the glass door and pulled.

The sound of a small bell rang for a moment, as he was instantly hit with the overwhelming smell of freshly baked goods.
A shuffle could be heard from the backroom as Niki walked out, over to the counter. Her pink hair tied into a messy low bun, with a bit of flour scattered across her own uniform.
A warm smile made its way on her own features upon noticing Ranboo at the entrance.

"Ranboo! It's so good to see you-" her smile dropped as she took in his appearance, instantly making her way towards him, cupping his face in his hands protectively.

"My goodness, Ranboo, what happened?!" She questioned. Her touch was cold, but not unwelcome, Ranboo found comfort in Niki's hold of him, even if it was a bit awkward with their height differences.
She had to pull him down a bit to reach his face.

"I'm fine Niki, really-" she interrupts him "What happened? Did someone hurt you? Why is there blood on your face?" She continued

Oh, a sudden realization dawned on him. He didn't wipe the rest of the blood and it became dry under his nose.

"Oh I just-" he starts, before Niki pulls away to reach behind the counter, coming back with a package of damp wipes.
She cupped his cheek with one of her hands, using the other one to scrape off the dried blood. He winced slightly at the contact, it stung a bit.

"Are you okay, Ranboo?" She sounded so worried, and Ranboo couldn't help but feel slightly guilty before opening his mouth to answer.

"I'm okay I'm okay, it was my fault, really- I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings and bumped into this guy, and fell face first into the pavement, I'm sorry-" he was mumbling small apologies as her grip on his cheek got softer.

She gave him a slight glare, it didn't hold any malice behind it, just worry. But it was guilt inducing all together, She almost looked like a disappointed pet owner.

"Please be careful outside, you could've seriously hurt yourself." She stated as she pulled the wipe away to reveal a small stain of dark and dry blood.

Niki threw the stained wipe into a small trash can near where they stood.

Her previously occupied hand returned to cup his other cheek, and her grip got slightly firmer as she pulled him closer, whispering something.

"Promise me you'll be careful."

A slightly drowsy feeling overcame him.

Her voice was so soft, and Ranboo couldn't help but lean into her cold touch.

"I promise."

Her face instantly softened and so did her grip. The warm smile made its way back onto her face, her worried features disappearing into thin air.

"Good." She beamed. "It doesn't look broken, thankfully" she pointed at his stinging nose before continuing, "Just slightly bruised. Nothing a few days won't be able to fix. Try not to touch it."

She let go of his face, and the drowsy feeling from early seemed to disappear.

They walked together behind the counter,
Ranboo put his apron on before walking into the kitchen.

The first thing that caught his eye was the concerning amount of dirty dishes in the kitchen sink. 'Wasn't Jeffery supposed to wash those before leaving his shift?'

As if reading his thoughts, Niki spoke up "Our dear friend Jeffery decided to leave early today with that time curfew as an excuse. He didn't even bother with his closing duties, he just left. What a nice man." she stated sarcastically, sounding upset.

Upset, stressed and tired.

It was only then when he finally processed the look on her face. She looked pale and tired, her eyes had barely noticeable bags under them.

Ranboo frowned a bit at her state, "Well, it wouldn't be the first time" he chimed "Don't worry, Niki. I'll try to get this done as quickly as possible." He sent a smile her way and she returned the kindness with her own.

--------x---------

He silently wondered why Niki kept Jeffery around instead of just firing him. It's not like the man was any use to the bakery. He mostly just walked around the place and bothered the customers, when it was clear that all they wanted to do was eat and leave.
The man would often leave all his working duties to Ranboo and the other workers, never actually doing his job.

As much Ranboo disliked him, he knew better than to bring it up with Niki, it wasn't really his place, she's the boss and she makes the decisions, even if he doesn't really understand them.

Instead, he decided to ask Niki another question that bothered him "Did you have anything to eat yet?" She turned her head towards him, a slightly surprised expression creeped on her features "Hm?"

"Did you eat anything today?" He repeated.

She stared at him for a few seconds, as if pondering how to answer. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak; "Well I... I ate a cupcake before you came into work today."

Ranboo's eyebrows furrowed for a moment "What? Niki, that's not enough, you're the one who always tells me to eat actual meals." looks like it was his turn to be disappointed.

She stammered a bit "Well, I haven't exactly had the time to-"
"That's not an excuse" he interrupted
"You've been overworking yourself, you need to eat something. Not just a cupcake. You need something sustaining." He continued.

Niki stared at him for a few moments in disbelief. Before a small smile creeped its way on her lips.

"You know what? I think you're right." She began. "Things have been pretty hard lately, I deserve to have something good!" She continued with a slight giggle in her voice; "In fact, I think I'll treat myself to a nice hot and fulfilling meal after work." she announced, satisfied with whatever idea for a meal she had in her head.

Ranboo grinned at her, glad that he convinced her to take care of herself just as much as she takes care of him.

He found himself quietly wondering what type of food Niki would enjoy.

If only he knew.

----------x-----------

Hours seemed to fly past them quickly.
There were very few customers still coming in due to the curfew.

Ranboo and Niki didn't really mind though. They had a lot of time to chat, and any conversation with Niki brought warmth into Ranboo's heart.

They sat together in the breakroom, in the middle of talking about the possibility of adding a few more options to the menu, when the entrance bell rang throughout the bakery, signaling that a new customer had entered.

Niki was about to get up from her chair, but Ranboo seemed to be faster as he quickly got on his feet.

"I'll serve this one, be right back"

He exited the breakroom and walked behind the counter, seeing a man he didn't recognize at the door.

The man was tall, not nearly as tall as him but still very tall.

Like the man he bumped into earlier in the evening, he was well dressed for the weather, wearing a seemingly soft yellow sweater under a long brown leather jacket that looked like it was centuries old, all patched up and sown around the edges.
A red beanie covered the back of his head, with a fluff of light brown hair sticking from the front.

The man turned his head in his direction, and Ranboo could make out a thin white streak in the man's hair.

As soon as the man glanced at Ranboo, he frowned deeply.
"You're not Niki." He stated.

'Wow, how observant' he noted sarcastically, knowing better than to vocalize his thoughts at the moment.

"Yep, not her, I'm her employee, is there anything I can do to help yo-" he didn't get to finish his sentence before the man opened his mouth again.
"Where is she?" He glanced around, taking in the bakery's decorations. And after a few seconds of silence, he directed his attention to Ranboo, expecting an answer and making direct eye contact.

Ranboo immediately glanced down, avoiding having to look in the stranger's eyes, he fiddled with his hands.

"She's in th-the breakroom, I can go get her for you if you want-"
"Please do, I want to speak with her." The man spoke with a firm British accent, and Ranboo would be lying if he said it wasn't a tiny bit intimidating.

Ranboo walked up to the breakroom door, opening it slightly "Niki, there's a strange mean man here, says he wants to speak with you." Niki stared for a few seconds before standing up from her chair and walking out the door.

Her neutral facial expression turned into a beaming sunshine ray of a smile as her eyes landed on the man by the entrance.The man's expression did the same.

Niki practically jumped over the counter and ran towards him.
"WILBUR!" She exclaimed loudly before wrapping her arms around the stranger's waist, catching him in a bear-tight hug.

"Niki! It's so good to see you, it's been forever!" The man, Wilbur, returns the death grip tenfold, as the two of them laugh.

"Decades, Wilbur. It has been DECADES." she states.

'Ah, so they're childhood friends.' Ranboo's mind concludes.
The two adults untangled their limbs, slightly stumbling at the lack of physical support.

They giggled.

"I heard you and your family were moving into town, I honestly didn't believe it! Thought it was just a rumor." Niki starts "I'm so happy to see you."
Wilbur gave her a soft smile "To be fair, we weren't planning on staying at first, but dad had to get few things done and Tommy sort of took a liking to the area, not to mention-'' Wilbur paused, turning his head towards Ranboo, his facial expression turned wary as he spoke "Y'know what? We'll catch up later, it looks like you're a bit busy over here."

Niki was quiet for a moment, before turning her head towards him as well. Ranboo felt slightly uncomfortable at the staring, he looked away.

"Oh how could I forget!" he could hear Niki's voice, along with a pair of footsteps becoming louder as they approached the counter.

"This is my friend, Ranboo, he works here, in my bakery." She introduced him.
She gestured to Wilbur to lean in quickly, saying something in a loud whisper; "Don't tell the other employees, but he's definitely my favorite" she chuckled slightly.

Ranboo felt his cheeks heat up a bit at the compliment.

Niki continued "Ranboo, this is my good friend, Wilbur. Play nice, you two."

"It's nice to meet you, sir." Ranboo extended his hand for a handshake.

Wilbur huffed in surprise as he shook the teen's hand "Sir? Goodness, I can't believe I reached the age where teenagers start calling me 'sir'. " he chuckles slightly.
"Please, just call me Wilbur. No friend of Niki's shall see me as a sir"

Ranboo quickly nodded "Noted"

"I like your hair by the way, looks cool." Wilbur added

"Ah, thank you" The teen mumbled a response, he never really knew how to take a compliment, a small heat rested on his cheeks once more.

Niki turned her head towards Wilbur once more, and for a split second, Ranboo could swear he saw the light in the room reflect off her eyes, as if they weren't real, as if those weren't her actual eyes.

Ranboo quickly buried that thought, that's just stupid.

Wilbur caught her staring and returned the favor.

After a moment of inspection, the Brit frowned, his lips forming a thin line. "When was the last time you had a proper meal, Niki?"

Ranboo couldn't help his quiet snort as Niki snapped her head towards him with an open mouth "My goodness, you two" she exhaled before continuing "Well, as Ranboo suggested earlier, I'm planning on having a nice meal after work. So don't worry, Wilbur" the Brit simply nodded in response.

"Actually..." She starts again
"Do want to join me, Wilbur? I'd love to catch up with you over dinner."

Wilbur slowly shifts where he stands, his eyes moving in Ranboo's direction.
His expression was unreadable for a moment.

"Will Ranboo be joining us for dinner as well?"

Niki quickly answers, slightly out of breath, almost sounding... panicked? "N-No! Ranboo has uh.. school tomorrow! Yes! He shouldn't stay up so late, he's going home soon anyway."
Wilbur hummed in acknowledgement, his expression still unclear.

"Well" he starts "Who did yo- WHAT did you have in mind for dinner?" he asked, returning his eyes to their original position, looking at Niki for a response.

She smiled at him "We'll talk about it after my work here is done, we'll go together, 'kay?"

"Understood ma'am." Wilbur fake-saluted.

"Oh!" She suddenly exclaimed "Maybe your brothers can join us as well? We could all feast together! It's been ages since we had the chance to" Wilbur puts his thumb below his chin, thinking for a moment, he let out a hum.

"Tommy is helping dad with something important, but I'm pretty sure Techno is free right now, he could definitely join us for dinner! Plus, he could use a proper meal himself-" he laughs quietly, as if at an inside joke.

'Techno, huh... what an odd name' he notes, before retracting his own inner statement.

I mean, who's he to judge? His name is literally Ranboo. What kind of name is Ranboo?? His name is just as weird as this 'Techno' guy.
Niki put her palms together, fingers intertwining. "Sounds like a plan then!"

Niki turned to look at the clock hung up on the bakery's wall, above one of the tables, and turned back to Ranboo
"Looks like it's the end of your shift, Ranboo." He looks over at the clock and, wouldn't you know it, she was right.

Man, hours really did go by fast.

"Go home and get some rest, you've seriously earned it. Thank you for staying extra hours today, you're an absolute life saver."

Ranboo took off his apron and set it on one of the hangers near the breakroom door "It's no big deal, really. Call if there's anything else I do to help"

he picked up his green messenger bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

Niki chuckled softly "Will do, thank you Ranboo"
Before the teen could open the door to exit, he heard her voice call to him again; "Oh, and Ranboo-" he turned to look at her, hand still gripping the handle.

"Remember to keep your promise"

'Promise me you'll be careful'

Her words echoed in his mind as he slowly nodded, his head a bit dizzy for some reason.
"Of course. Have a safe night you two" he gave the pair a small wave before exiting the bakery and into the street.

It was even colder than it was before, a slight shiver ran up his spine.
He started heading towards his apartment building.

----------x-----------

The two silently watched the nervous teen walk a few steps outside of the bakery before Niki spoke up;

"So... What was that thing you couldn't say when he was here?"

"Ah yes, as I was saying, one of the reasons we're staying here for the time being is because..." Wilbur's hand made its way to the back of his neck, scratching it slightly, as if wondering how to put his thoughts into words.

"Dad lost his crows."

Niki's smile dropped

"W-what-"

"Yeah... They usually fly around during the day but they always come back by evening. Not this time though." Wilbur stated "Dad got into a bit of an argument with them, and it seems like the loud little things are giving him the silent treatment."

Niki's mouth was agape for a few ticks "Phil got-" she stuttered a bit "Phil got into an argument with birds?? How does that even happen??" She sounded flabbergasted.

Wilbur frowned "They're not JUST birds, Niki, they're his crows, they mean a lot to him. He considers them as a part of his flock and he's been down in the dumps ever since they scattered over town."

The room was silent for a solid minute, the only audible sound being the ticking from the wall clock.

"Tommy's been trying to help him gather them again, but without any luck, every time he spots one of those feathery fucks, it caws like a siren and then flys away. Fuckin' rude if you ask me." Wilbur huffs a bit, annoyance clear in his tone.

A few seconds passed before he spoke again "So..." He started "Who do you have in mind for dinner, if not that Ranboo kid?"

Niki sends him a toothy grin, eager to answer "So there's this guy called Jeffery-"

----------x-----------

The streets were quiet at night, that part wasn't new. Ranboo glanced up at the shining street lamp above him as it flickered and a cold breeze flew past him.

He shivered slightly, rubbing his shoulders with his palms again.

As he was reaching his small abode, a loud noise caught his attention and made his heart skip a beat.
He snapped his head toward the sound to see a single crow staring at him, tilting its head.

His heartbeat slowed down a bit, it's a bird, it just startled him a bit, that's it.

He sent the dark feathered bird an awkward smile. The crow is a bit intimidating but very pretty.

He wondered if he could feed them, what do crows even eat? Crumbs?

He paused and reached his hand into his bag, taking out a book with a brown leather cover.

His memory book.

The teen opened it with shaking fingers due to the cold, along with an almost empty ballpoint pen, he began to write a note, a reminder for later.

'look up what's edible for the crows, they seem nice'

He quickly closed the book and tossed it back into his bag with the pen, closing the pocket and walking into his building.

He should've probably added that he needed to bring a jacket next time he went outside.

Oh well, he forgot.

Chapter Text

Waking up is a difficult task for Ranboo.

Not necessarily because he was a heavy sleeper, no, that wasn't it.

Ranboo's bed is... Well, it isn't exactly a bed, it's more of an old thick mattress held up by four bricks along with a creaking bed frame.

His blanket was way too thin for the room's temperature, and he would often find himself in a sneezing fit during mornings. Using his forgotten jacket as a make-shift pillow, he winced at the feeling of the cold and sharp zipper against his cheek, slowly opening his eyes to see a napping black cat curled up against his chest.

Reaching his hand to pet her, Ranboo gave Enderchest a good scratch behind her ear, receiving a small 'mrow' in return. The drowsy teen had to stop himself from letting out an audible 'aw' noise.

With slight hesitation, he slowly got into a sitting position on his bed, having to move Enderchest a bit to the side, much to the cat's distaste.

He sat up against the wall and unplugged his phone from the charger, checking for any new messages.

There were only two. He chose one at random, opening it to see its sender.

It was from his teacher in the class groupchat, pretty recent too, it was sent out only 10 minutes before Ranboo woke up.

Ranboo squinted a bit to read the small letters, his eyelids were still a bit heavy on his eyes.

"" Dear students, due to the events that took place last night, the school has deemed it unsafe to open its gates this morning.

To be clear, you will still need to complete the assignment I gave you. Finish it at home and send it to me.

Stay at home and be safe. ""

- Mr. Wastaken

Ranboo stares at the text for a few seconds, thoughts racing to his head.

'So there's no school today? Pog.'

'I should probably finish the assignments they gave us early so that I can have some free time later'

'Wait, what does he mean by "events that took place last night"??' did he miss something during his sleep? What happened?

He shakes those thoughts away, he can think about that later.

Instead, he clicked on the other message.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Enderchest get up and stretch a bit, arching her back and clawing at the thin blanket still covering his legs.

His gaze returned to his device as he looked to see who the other sender was;

It's an announcement from The Butcher Army. He began to read.

“” Good morning/evening to all citizens of L'manburg, this is an update on the current situation;

After what happened tonight, we have confirmation that the SBI coven is in town.

We need you to discard our message from yesterday.

The curfew is no longer optional, until further notice, it is mandatory.

Please return to your homes by 6PM.

Any person seen outside past that time will be fined.

We highly suggest being wary of your surroundings at all times.

Signed, The Butcher Army, it's our goal to keep humanity in safe hands. “”

Ranboo paused, 'Welp, there goes my job at Niki's...'

Still, it didn't elaborate on what happened last night. Whatever it was, it solidified the rumors about the SBI coven being in town.

The tired teen ignored the slight shiver that ran up his spine at the thought.
He slowly got on his feet and walked over to the bathroom door.

A long yawn escaped his mouth as he palmed at his eyes, trying to lift the heaviness. He turned the sink on and reached his hand to touch the water, checking its temperature. He splashed his face a bit, and immediately felt a stinging feeling of pain on his nose. He glanced up to look at the mirror.

His nose was still slightly bruised from the night before. Niki was right, it doesn't look broken, but the small purple mark made him wince a bit.

Maybe he should cover it up somehow.

The teen exited the bathroom and was immediately startled by his cat's loud hissing.

He ran towards the noise to see his cat having a heated staring contest with a crow sitting outside the apartment window.

He sighed, relieved at the lack of actual threat. He walked towards the window and reached for the blinds, covering the glass.

"There, no bird to fuss about anymore, happy now?" He crouched, reaching for the bag of cat food near him before proceeding to pour some into a small metal bowl, and placing it near Enderchest.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if wary. Finally, after sniffing it slightly, she began to eat.

'What's gotten her so moody?'

He moved back to the window and peeked through the blinds. Surprisingly, the crow is still there. It's just... staring at him.

He moves the blinds back into place.

---x---

A cold feeling washed over Ranboo's face as he opened the fridge, looking for something to munch on.

It was only yesterday when he told Niki that she needs to eat a proper meal.

And now here he is, eating spaghetti out of a plastic zip bag. He felt no shame.

Hypocrite.

He finished his horror of a meal and instinctively decided to look through his memory book to see his reminders from the day before. Glancing around the kitchen, his eyes landed on his work bag, laying on the counter.

Walking over and unzipping it, he immediately noticed a small pile of bright yellow bandaids with small ducks drawn on the middle patches.

A reminder of his encounter with the vampire hunter last night, what was his name again? Quackity? Something like that.

He still wanted to cover the purple bruise on his nose, and the bandaids were right there so... Yeah...

He ignored the unpleasant sting as he taped one of them on the bridge of his nose. It definitely looked a bit silly, but it fulfilled its purpose.

'I should probably start working on Mr. Wastaken's assignment, getting that out of the way is gonna make the next few days a lot easier'

Walking out of the small kitchen, his memory book layed forgotten in his bag, where it would remain until Ranboo has need for it again.

---x---

The laptop brightness was dim, and Ranboo found himself staring at the same sentence for the past 5 five minutes, unable to process it properly.

Mr. Wastaken's assignments were always confusing for Ranboo.
It was hard to understand the questions, and they always felt like riddles for some reason. He groaned slightly as he stretched his arms over his head.

His attention was snapped from his work as he heard a loud piercing sound from outside his window.

The teen turned his head to be greeted by none other than the crow that has been staring at him ever since he opened the blinds back.

It was silent for a tick, until it wasn't, and the crow sang its song again. The loud, ear ramming, damning song.

Ranboo moved his eyes to look back at his screen, then at the crow, then back to the screen.

Until he fully turned his head to the crow, a guilty thought placed itself in his head.

'Sorry, Mr. Wastaken...'

He closed the assignment tab ' I'll work on it later. '

He started typing into the search bar, slightly satisfied at the clicking noises coming from his keyboard.

' How to feed a crow step by step '

He felt slightly silly at his choice of wording. But those crows seemed so friendly. A bit loud and disruptive, sure, but friendly.

He clicked on the first thing that came up.
Focusing his eyes a bit as he began to read out loud;

"Start with foods that they are known to love and go from there. Eggs, unsalted peanuts, cat or dog food, corn, and chicken are all tried and true favorites of many crow enthusiasts. If you don’t have a dedicated feeding station or area set up, you can begin by scattering cracked corn and small pellet dog or cat food on the ground."

He paused, focusing on two single words

'Cat food'

He slowly turned his head to where Enderchest had been lounging, on the couch.
As if reading his thoughts, the cat sent him a slight glare before letting out a small displeased meowing noise.

"Hey- sharing is caring! Those crows are new around here and we should give them a warm welcome to like, befriend them. Plus, we have a ton to spare, so it's not like you'll get any less."

Enderchest glared for a few more moments before putting her head down in defeat, accepting the inevitable loss of extra cat food.

Ranboo chuckled slightly as he got up, approaching her, reaching his hand out to scratch behind her ears slightly. She purred.

Ah yes, the sound of her forgiveness.

---x---

Ranboo slowly started to pour a small pile of cat food on a small rag outside his window.

The crow was no longer there, it flew away a few minutes ago. That's okay, if it decides to come back, the cat food will be right here waiting for it.

Ranboo let a smile tug at his lips in somewhat sad amusement.

A crow friend... He's trying to become friends with a crow.... God, he needs friends.

And to maybe touch grass.

He glanced at his phone, checking the time;

4:32 PM

The curfew starts at 6PM, that leaves him with an hour and a half to take a walk, a walk he desperately craved at the moment.

He closed the window and walked back into the kitchen, grabbing his bag and poorly tying his shoes. He rushed out his apartment door, slightly bumping his head on the top of its frame.

---x---

An idiot, a buffoon, an absolute fool. His mind threw insults at him.

Ranboo forgot his jacket... again....

To say he was disappointed in himself would be a major understatement, he literally made the same mistake the day before and here he is again, repeating it, practically shivering out in the cold street.

Should he go back for it? It's freezing out here, maybe he can run back to his apartment real quick and grab his jacket. It would be a quick trip there and back!

Oh nevermind that, the jacket isn't that warm anyway. Ranboo just wants to go on his walk, a slight breeze won't stop him.

The teen turned his heel and started to walk in a randomly chosen direction. As long as he doesn't go too far, he should be fine, he still has an hour and a half until curfew starts and he'll need to run back.

His mind started drifting somewhere else, not thinking about anything in particular. It just felt nice to walk outside for now, despite the cold temperature.

A voice rang out, tearing Ranboo out of his welcomed dizziness. He slightly stopped for a moment, attempting to listen. He heard the voice again. It sounded upset, frustrated, maybe even angry, and Ranboo couldn't help but feel a slight familiarity in it, though he couldn't tell why.

He turned the corner at the end of the street. There, under a tall tree near a fence, stood none other than the vampire hunter he had met last night.

Quackity.

The hunter's head was turned away from Ranboo, as he participated in what seemed like a heated argument with another man in front of him. Ranboo turned his head to look at the person, taking in their appearance.

The man was taller than Quackity, wearing a jet black jacket with red, yellow, blue and white stripes crossing it. Messy ginger hair sticking out in different directions with a Breton cap atop of it, a scruff on his chin.

There was a similar axe to Quackity's held tightly in his hands as he glared at the scarred hunter in front of him.

'Another vampire hunter' Ranboo guessed.

He couldn't hear the exact words they exchanged, but he could tell both men were very upset.

A moment passed before an unfortunate sneeze revealed his location, snapping both men's attention directly towards him. Damn this weather.

Quackity's hand immediately went to grip the handle of his own axe as he turned his head towards him. The teen immediately tensed under their glares, uncomfortable with the eye contact.

Quackity's eyes seemed to soften in recognition of the teen, his grip on the axe visibly softened and he put it back into place as he sent Ranboo a somewhat apologetic expression.

He whispered something to the ginger in front of him, Ranboo couldn't make it out, but the tall hunter's shoulders seemed to slump in slight relief.

The scar-faced hunter began approaching him, raising one of his arms in a friendly wave. "Hiya Ranbo! How are you?" Quackity's tone was a lot lighter than moments prior.

"It's 'Ranboo', actually." The teen corrected. "Eh, Ranbo, Rambo, Ranboo, whatever" he chuckled slightly.

Quackity's eyes darted to Ranboo's nose, more specifically the yellow bandaid covering the bruise on it, as he suddenly grinned widely and let out a wild laughter. "Is that one of the fuckin' bandaids I gave you yesterday?! Holy shit, the little duckie on it, I'm so sorry, you look ridiculous-" he let out between cackles.

Ranboo felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment "H-hey! You were the one who gave them to me! Why wouldn't I use them?" He asked exasperated.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm the one who gave you the bruise in the first place." Despite the man's apology, Quackity still had his hands wrapped around his chest as he struggled to get his breath back.

The two continued bickering for a moment, before the ginger stranger from earlier began approaching them himself.
"So I'm assuming you're not going to introduce me, Quackity?" He spoke, catching the short man's attention and waiting for a response.

"Yeah yeah, Sorry, man." Quackity quickly wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and turned to answer; "Kid, this man over here is Fundy, he's my employee-" "Coworker." The stranger- no, Fundy, cut him off. "Yeah whatever, Fundy, this freakishly tall kid is Rambo" "Ranboo" the teen corrected. The scarred man huffed in amusement before turning towards the teen once again.

"So, Ranboo, what are you doing out here? You should probably head back, your parents must be worried." Fundy began. Ranboo ignored the mention of parents before answering "Well, I know the curfew is mandatory and all, but it's still early, it's only 5 o'clock, so I'm still allowed to be out, right?" He reasoned, "I'll start heading home soon, I just wanted to take a quick walk to relieve some stress..."

The two hunters exchanged glances before looking back at him, as Quackity's expression turned serious "Well, how far is your home from here? Because it's not 5pm, it's 5:40, the sun is starting to set, you should start heading back." Ranboo stared in slight shock for a few moments before quickly taking out his phone to look at the time.

5:43pm, just as Quackity said.

Ranboo felt heat rising on his cheeks again, he must've spaced out, he stayed out too long. The chances of him making it back to his house by 6pm are pretty low. Worry started to fill him, before a gentle grip settled on his shoulder, he glanced away from his phone to see Quackity give him a reassuring warm smile "Hey hey hey, it's okay, don't worry. I'll walk you back if you want, but it's really not safe out here" he offered.

"Only if it's okay with you." Ranboo replied nervously as he put his phone back into his pocket.

The short man next to him pat his shoulder before responding "Of course it's okay, Fundy can take my patrolling route tonight. Ain't that right, Fundy?" He turned his head towards the ginger, who glared slightly "Sure, whatever" he turned his head away, annoyance clear in his voice as he started walking forward down the street road.

Quackity turned his attention back to the tall teen he was leaning on.

"Ready to go, Ramboi?" "Sure" he snickered a bit at the nickname.

---x---

The streets were still silent, it still felt a bit off and kind of unnerving, in a way. But Ranboo would be lying if he said he didn't feel safe with Quackity next to him. The short man gave him a sense of security, he had to admit it.

Ranboo noticed that Quackity is pretty touchy. Not in an uncomfortable way, really. In fact, the teen finds himself leaning into it, for whatever reason.

The entire way back, Quackity's face remained in a gentle smile, he seems kind of tired in Ranboo's opinion.

The silence was broken by a cricket, and Ranboo decided to ask a question.

"Excuse me, Quackity? Can I ask you something?" The scarred man turned his head towards the teen, both of them not stopping in their tracks as they continued walking toward Ranboo's apartment building, a breeze washed over them.

"Yeah, what's up?" A quick response.

"May I ask what happened last night? The message sent by the butcher army said something about an event that confirmed the vampire coven's appearance, but it didn't really elaborate... What happened?"

Quackity stopped walking, he glanced up at the tall teen, who stopped as well after noticing the other one's pause.

An uneasy feeling overtook the air, before Quackity opened his mouth. "We found a dead man in an alleyway, it was fresh too. My team and I heard screams and came running, by the time we got there, the man was already dead, his blood was drained out of him... quickly." He explained, strain clear in his voice.

Ranboo stood silent for a moment "Oh..." He was a bit ashamed that he asked, it had to be rough to find a man like that. "I'm sorry I asked" "No no, it's okay, you're a citizen here, you deserve to know the dangers in the area." Quackity assured "We had a lot of trouble with the local police department this morning because of it. They have their heads up their asses, it took them ages to clear the body from the crime scene. Damn bastards." He continues as they start walking again, Ranboo decides to keep listening.

"They still won't give us any information on the guy except for his name. The department refuses to give us an address or previous place of employment in refusal for cooperation, it's throwing off our investigation as literal vampire hunters. Our hands are tied like this." Quackity sounded so upset, the tall teen felt bad.

"His name was Jeffrey Cordell"

And now it was Ranboo's turn to stop in his tracks. Because he knows that name, how could he not? It's the name he spent hours upon hours ranting about with his fellow coworker and boss, Niki. It's the name of the man who never washes the dishes or stays behind to help close the register.

Jeffery.

Quackity seemed to notice the teen's state as he stopped as well. "Ranboo?" he sounded a bit worried.

"His name was Jeffrey Cordell?"

"Yes-" "Are you sure?"

Quackity was silent for a few seconds before a glint of understanding showed itself in his eye, as if something clicked "Yes, it's Jeffery Cordell. What's this about? Do you know him?" He questioned, wary.
"Y-Yeah, I know the guy..." Ranboo felt his hands begin to shake in the pockets of his jeans. Jeffery was dead? Really? That's insane, that's like actually insane-

"Do you think there's anything you can tell me about him? Do you know where he lived? This could really help me and my team."

"Sorr-Sorry, I don't know where he lived, I'm sorry-" he was cut off "Hey hey, it's okay" his hands were out of his pockets now, he felt them tremble as Quackity held them in his own, the man’s hands were warm, it calmed him down a bit.

"It's okay, no need to cry. I shouldn't have asked." Ranboo didn't even notice the tears that started gathering up at the corners of his eyes.

He didn't even like the guy. Still, it felt horrible, it felt terrifying. This is a person he knew, it's a person he spoke to on an almost regular basis. Despite disliking him, he was still part of Ranboo's normal daily routine, and now he was just... gone? Dead? Really?

"C'mon, let's get you home, you gotta be tired." Quackity moved one of his hands up to rub Ranboo's shoulder in circles, it was kinda soothing, to be honest.

"It's- It's okay, it's okay I just" he stumbled over his words "I'm just a bit shocked, that's it." He moved his hands away from Quackity to palm at his eyes, wiping the salty tears.

"I don't know where he lived, but I do know where he works- well, where he, uh, used to work." His voice was shaking slightly. It was all too much. He continued; "He was my coworker, over at Niki's- it's like, uh, it's a bakery right near the park, you can't miss it."

Quackity was quiet as he listened, letting the young boy get his words in order. His hand remained on the teen's shoulder, which made the latter grateful to have something ground him.

"Thank you Ranboo, this helps a lot, I mean it." Before Ranboo knew what was happening, he was enveloped in a tight hug, which he leaned into, happy for the contact.

The teen decided to pull away, the height difference making the position feel a bit awkward. His eyes felt a bit puffy, he just wants to go home right now.

"My apartment is right around that corner, thank you for everything." The teen stated.

A warm smile covered Quackity's features, his scar stretching a bit "Of course, man. If there's anything you need, we set up our base right next to the nearest police station here. If I'm not out patrolling, I'm probably there." He pat Ranboo's shoulder one last time before the warm hand left, Ranboo had to repress a small whine at the loss of contact.

Quackity turned to leave but paused "Oh, by the way-" he looked back at Ranboo "Try to bring a jacket with you the next time you go out on a walk, you're gonna catch a cold like this."

Ranboo sent him a small smile before turning to walk back to his place. The hunter is right, Ranboo really needs to stop forgetting his jacket.

---x---

The apartment is quiet as Ranboo steps through door, having to duck his head a bit as to not bump his head against the frame. His shoe made contact with the wooden floor and the silence was broken, as the old wood creaked under him.

'I hope Enderchest is asleep' he thought to himself as he set his phone down on the table.

He should find his memory book, write that he needs to bring his jacket with him on his next short adventure. Wasn't he supposed to check it this morning? Did he? It doesn't really matter now, he'll just write it down and go to sleep early. His eyes sting a bit, he felt a bit embarrassed about crying in front of Quackity. After all, he just met the guy, of course it's embarrassing.

As he was making his way towards the kitchen, a sight at the window made him pause, and he just stared.

There were several crows outside his glass window, they were feasting on the cat food he put out earlier.

He smiled at the sight, they were kinda cute.

He turned away from the window and walked into his bedroom, he felt exhausted. Ranboo subconsciously knew that it was from his breakdown earlier, his hands felt numb and his eyes stung. He just wants to close them, he just wants his consciousness to disappear for a few hours.

His bed wasn't soft, the mattress was stiff as he dropped himself atop of it. His eyelids flutter closed, as he feels a warm ball of fluff curl settle itself beside him on the bed.

Was there something he was supposed to do before going to bed? Is he forgetting something?

Oh well, it doesn't really matter now, he's already asleep.

Chapter Text

Waking up to a cat smacking you in the face with its paw isn't the greatest experience, Ranboo can vouch for that one. Luckily, Enderchest rarely ever uses her claws. 'Rarely' being the keyword there, as this was one of those rare occasions where the teen had to wake up with a feeling of pain on his cheek. He practically darted up into a sitting position, startling the little ball of evil from her previous placement.

"Oh what the-" He moved his hand up to where it hurt. It wasn't bleeding, it probably wasn't even a scratch, just a scrape.
Still, it stung and Ranboo subconsciously glared at his cat as she gave him a falsely innocent expression.

Pain and betrayal aside, Ranboo moved to get out of his bed, immediately regretting his decision when he felt the collar of his shirt get stuck on a loose spring from the mattress. Damn, he really should've switched to more comfortable clothes before heading to bed last evening. He usually does, so why didn't he? Was he really that tired?

Ranboo's mind attempted to catch up with last night's events, but it was all so damn blurry.

He just went out on a walk, right? What could've happened?
Wait, that's not all of it, no. He got to see the vampire hunter, Quackity, again. He also met the hunter’s friend, Fundy. Though, any memories of conversations seemed to blend with each other before-

Ah

Right

That happened.

It all came flooding in. Ranboo remembered his conversation with Quackity on their way back to his apartment, where Ranboo learned that his coworker, Jeffery, had been tragically killed by vampires... yeah... He felt shattered when he heard the news.

Welp, that was embarrassing. Out of everything he could recall from last night, why did it have to be that?

Having an emotional breakdown in front of a man he barely knew, an actual stranger. It made him feel a bit ashamed. Quackity probably thought he was pathetic, and Ranboo can't blame him for it.

The teen untangled the loose piece of cloth string from the spring, and stretched his back. A groan escaped his mouth.

Damn, that kinda hurt.

Still, Ranboo can't afford staying in bed all day, he still has things to do. His assignment from Mr. Wastaken should be first on the list. His thoughts were interrupted by a gurgling sound from his stomach. The teen silently wonders if he still has any spaghetti left from the day before, hoping he didn't finish it all.

Finally, he stood up from the stiff mattress, and the floor creaked as his foot made contact with it. Though, before he could make his way out of the room, his eyes drifted to his bedroom window, and he was surprised by the sight in front of him.

There, behind the glass, sat four- no, five crows, they all seemed to be looking straight at him. It was odd, he didn't put any cat food near his bedroom window, their food was set outside the living room window, so what were they doing here?

Ah, that's it, they must be waiting for him to give them more food. That makes sense. They totally weren't watching him sleep. Nope, that would be weird, they're just hungry.

He sent them a friendly wave with his hand, before turning his head and making his way out into the narrow hallway and into the living room. He was greeted by his loyal cat, Enderchest, as she rubbed her head against his legs. The teen let out a quiet chuckle, only loud enough for his own ears. He picked up the little ball of mischief into his arms and pushed his face into her fur, soothed by the clear sound of purring radiating from her, as she continued to rub her head against his own.

Until she tried to eat his hair, and Ranboo was forced to put her down on the couch.

He walked into the kitchen.

First item on the agenda; pour cat food into Enderchest's bowl, and then, pour some outside his window for his new crow friends.

At the sound of dry food hitting the bottom of a metal bowl, Enderchest came running into the kitchen with her tail pointed upwards, emitting noises of impatience at the teen, who gently placed the bowl beside his feet. Enderchest immediately stuffed her own face into her meal, clearly satisfied.

Ranboo approached the window and slowly opened it, making just the right gap so as to not risk any crows accidentally flying in. He poured the dry cat food on the rag and immediately saw results, as multiple crows flew down to perch right outside his window.

They must've been real hungry, waiting for him like this.

He closed the gap and just... watched for a few minutes. A few more crows joined the ones already there, they all seemed pleased by the feast, and Ranboo smiled.

His daze was once again interrupted by a demanding noise from his stomach, he should probably feed himself as well.

His gaze finally left the dark feathered birds outside the glass as he stepped back into the kitchen. He opened his fridge, a dim yellow light emitting itself on his face. The cold air gave him an inconvenient reminder of the bruise on his nose. The stinging feeling made him frown, he knows it's just healing, but it still hurts. His eyes drifted across the different shelves, which were literally empty.

When was the last time he went grocery shopping? He's pretty sure he's been planning to. He probably wrote it down in his memory book but must've forgotten to check it again.

What's the point of having an entire book for memorization if he keeps forgetting it?

Well, at least he has a plan for the day. Wasn't he supposed to do something else?

Eh, doesn't matter. Right now, he needs to go buy food, his stomach demands it. He turned to look at the clock. It's currently 3PM, looks like he slept in... Again.

That's okay, the grocery store is supposed to be open. The curfew only begins at 6 o'clock. That's more than enough time to buy himself a couple of instant noodle cups.

But first, he needs to change his clothes because the ones he was currently wearing stink so much right now. To be fair, he did wear them outside and thought it would be a good idea to go sleep in them. This was totally on him.

He made his way back into his bedroom, walking past the staring crows that, for whatever reason, were still perching outside his window, despite already finishing their meal.

He missed the glare Enderchest sent the crows before following him into the bedroom herself.

Now, the teen didn't have many options to choose from when it came to clothes, especially warm ones. With the weather outside, Ranboo really wouldn't mind having something warm to wear. Maybe he should start saving up for a nice sweater, or soft gloves.

Sounds nice. Yeah, he'd like that a lot. Of course, earning money is going to be hard for a while, now that he can't work at Niki's place because of the curfew. He usually works late hours, those are always free for him, but maybe he can ask Niki for an earlier shift, since he can't help her during his usual time.

...

Niki...

...

Ranboo wonders if she heard the news about Jeffery, he hopes she's alright.

The boy quickly shakes his head, he needs to go to the store, he can call Niki later. He quickly chooses a random button up shirt that, with all due respect, looks like an awfully cheap attempt at a hawaiian shirt ripoff.

He put his shoes on, ignoring the way Enderchest ominously stared into an empty corner of his room.

He walks into the bathroom to look at the mirror, checking to see if his hair at least looks presentable for the outside world. He should really re-dye it, he really liked it when it was fully half black and half white. But with his dirty blond roots growing in, it looked very out of place.

Maybe he should invite Niki over, then they could both re-dye their hair, together. The memory of the baker helping him dye his hair for the first time brought a smile to his face. Yeah, that'd be nice. Ranboo hopes she has free time, he'd hate to be a bother.

Ranboo grabs his green leather bag, turns the key to his apartment door and steps out into the hallway.

----------x-----------

The jacket.

That damned jacket.

He's forgotten it so many times by now, Ranboo has to wonder if it even actually exists. He knows it does, subconsciously, he literally uses it as a makeshift pillow every night. So how come it's been used for literally anything other than warming him up. This is ridiculous.

Oh well, he's made his way to the store, he can't go back for it now.

The doors of the grocery store slide open, and the teen steps right inside, only to be hit by an even colder feeling than before. The AC, of course, why not?

He shook the bitterness out of his mind, it's time for an adventure, a great search, a search for the aisle with stacked up instant food cups. Ranboo turned his heel and started walking, ignoring the way his stomach protested at the idea.

The aisles weren't too long, it was a small store, mostly filled with cheap knockoff foods. Ranboo didn't care for brands, food is food, even junk food.

Making his way through the store, the teen completely failed to notice the pair of familiar eyes watching him.

Ah, there it is! Ranboo quickly approached the shelf with a few different options and packets of instant foods. Pre-made lunches, microwave pizzas, and of course, instant noodles. The boy reached his hand to grab a few cups, he didn't have to wonder what he wanted, he just went with the basic chicken flavored noodles. Though, maybe he should try something new, it can't hurt. He took a step back, taking in all his options. His eyes landed on another cup of instant food, he squinted as he read the label.

"Instant purée" he read quietly to himself.

Hm, sounds kind of nice. Ranboo put the cup in the basket alongside the others, as he turned to walk to the register.

There was a line, but that's okay, Ranboo can wait, there's no hurry. His mind drifts somewhere else, in an attempt to kill time.

What's here to distract him? Surely, there's something to think about.

Dead coworker? Nope, he doesn't want to think about that. His embarrassing breakdown in front of a respectable vampire hunter? No, he'd rather not. His lack of a jacket? He doesn't need to think about that, his shivering shoulders are a reminder by themselves-

"Next!" Ranboo glances up at the cashier. Oh, looks like his disappointment in himself was a great time killer!

He starts scrambling to put his items on the conveyor belt, he really should've taken a basket at the entrance of the store, it slipped his mind though.

The cashier starts to swipe the teen's items, scanning them in swift motions, as Ranboo looks at the numbers that appeared on the small screen.

7.99$

Ranboo reached to where his wallet should be, only to feel his heart skip a beat.

His wallet wasn't there.

Because his wallet is in his jacket's pocket.

The jacket that he forgot at home.

Again.

Now, Ranboo practically never swears. That being said, it didn't stop his mind from coming up with the most creative ways and names to insult himself with. Damn, now he's going to need to return the cups back to the shelves and go all the way back to the apartment just to return to the store. Ranboo can't do that, he can't face Enderchest with that kind of shame.

He regrets not going back for his jacket, he really does, saying he's disappointed in himself would be a major understatement.

"It's fine, I can pay for his stuff"

The voice is gentle and light hearted, Ranboo knows the person it belongs to. The teen turns around to look at his kind boss, Niki.

Her pink hair was tied into a low ponytail, with two strands sticking out from the front. She wore a comfortable looking striped sweater, with shades of yellow, red and blue, just warm enough for the store. And of course, her usual gentle smile laced her features as she looked at Ranboo.

She looks... good. Great, actually. The bags under her eyes were gone and she no longer looked so tired and dazed, definitely more energized and comfortable. Ranboo couldn't help but smile back at her. He's glad that she's taking care of herself.

"Hi, Niki" he greeted, and the girl's closed smile widened; "It's good to see you Ranboo, how are you-" she stopped as she glanced down at what Ranboo was planning to purchase. Her bright smile disappeared, replaced by a frown as she looked back up at him, and Ranboo quickly glanced away in embarrassment.

It’s ironic. Just a few days ago, he was telling her all about how she should eat a proper meal instead of a single cupcake. And now here he is, buying a bunch of instant food cups.

Hypocrite.

The cashier started to swipe Niki's products as well, and Niki opened her mouth to speak. Ranboo was fully prepared for her to tear into him; "Really, Ranboo? Really?" Ranboo could only shyly nod in response. "You need to eat something real," She stated, teasing imitation clear in her voice "Something actually sustaining." The teen recognized her words as his own from just a few nights ago, he felt heat making its way back to his face, despite the cold temperature in the store.

Niki reached her hand to pick up one of the cups to read the label. She glanced up at him, unimpressed. "That's very hypocritical, and this food isn't good for you." "I know-" "You know?" Well now she just sounded upset. "Why don't you do something about it then? This isn't healthy for you and you know it. You need a proper nutrition, not this garbage." Ranboo couldn't help but grimice at the tone. Whenever Niki was upset with him, she'd scold him like a child. Though, it made Ranboo feel more like a misbehaved dog.

The cashier looked up at Niki as she handed them the money in cash. "Would you like a bag with that, ma'am?" They asked "Yes, two please." Niki's voice was still a bit edged, and Ranboo had to wonder if he was in trouble with his boss because of his unhealthy eating habits. Niki handed him one of the bags, gesturing at his instant food cups. Ranboo took the hint and started placing them inside, ignoring the slight tension in the air.

Niki gave him a quiet "thanks" as the teen helped her with her own groceries. She picked up the plastic bag, it dangled at her side. Ranboo did the same with his own and they made their way out of the store, letting the doors slide close behind them. The two stood in place for a few moments before Niki broke the silence and spoke up;

"Do you mind coming with me to the bakery right now? It's completely fine if you aren't available, I'm just asking." She seemed to calm down a bit from earlier, giving Ranboo a sense of relief. "I mean, sure, why not. I didn't have any plans for the day." His memory disagrees with him for once, reminding him of Mr. Wastaken's unfinished assignment. Ranboo ignored that reminder, he can think about his schoolwork later.

----------x-----------

Niki turned the key and pressed on the knob, opening the door and stepping inside, with Ranboo behind her. The teen was honestly thankful for the tall doors in this place, he never had to duck down to avoid head injuries like he did at home, it was comfortable here.

The bakery was warm, a lot warmer than the weather outside. It felt like pure euphoria, stepping out of the cold and into the heated up establishment. Ranboo felt himself shiver at the relief.

Niki kept walking towards the counter, where she set down her plastic bag and walked behind it "Wait down here for a sec, I'll be right back." She gestures at one of the chairs closest to the counter and Ranboo sits down as Niki goes upstairs. The girl’s own apartment is just above her own bakery, it’s convenient.

Now would be a good time to request an earlier shift at the job, she's right here, Ranboo can talk to her.

His thoughts trail off, he glances up the clock hanging on the wall, finding the regular ticking noise somewhat comforting.

What can he say, this entire place radiates comfort for him, probably more than his actual apartment. Whilst working here can be difficult sometimes, it feels nice to have a steady routine that he can count on to keep himself in check, something to do. With his memory problems, it's hard for Ranboo to find something concrete and constant. Something that just... stays with him. Permanently.

This isn't to say he doesn't have anything like that, of course. He has Enderchest, he always remembers her, he always remembers how much food he needs to pour into her bowl and he always remembers what time of day makes her most energized.

Still, it felt nice to be here, in the bakery. The place owned by one of his closest and kindest of friends, Niki.

His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of the staff door opening. He glanced up to see Niki standing in front of him, there's another plastic bag in her hand. It's different from the grocery store one, and it has something warm inside, implied by the steam coming out of it.

Niki puts the bag in front of Ranboo, staring at him as if waiting for something magical to happen. She must've caught Ranboo's confusion, because she gestured at him with her hand and then pointed down at the plastic bag "Well, what are you waiting for? Open it."

Ranboo's mind clicked into place 'oh-'

He reached his hands to grab at the plastic bag's straps, opening it to glance inside. His eyes widened at the sight. "Niki, I can't take these-" she cuts him off "Sure you can, I'm giving them to you, take them." Her tone was gentle, if not a bit amused by the teen's expression.

There, inside the bag, was a plastic box containing three warm pastries. Ranboo recognizes the swirl design on top of each one, he actually actually helped Niki come up with this design himself. It's cinnamon rolls. Warm, fresh and tasty cinnamon rolls.

"Thank you, Niki, they look delicious." His voice was quiet, but loud enough for Niki to hear and Ranboo hopes his tone conveys how truly sincere he is.

Niki responded with her usual soft smile, opening her mouth to speak "Are you okay, Ranboo? You look very tired." Ranboo glanced up at her, taking care to avoid her eyes. A thought placed itself in his head, and suddenly, his heart sank.

'Does Niki know that Jeffrey is dead?'

The thought made him feel dread. Niki looks fine, she isn't in a horrible mood or anything, she must've missed the news about her employee's death, since she's so carefree-

"Niki... Did you hear about Jeffery?" He made an effort to keep his shaky voice in check. If he was going to be the one to tell her, he wanted to be gentle with his words.

Niki tilted her head to the side, with a brow raised. "What do you mean?" Oh boy, she really doesn't know. How the hell is Ranboo supposed to do this? How is he supposed to tell her that the man is dead?

'Just like that, just tell her.' He guesses.

"Niki, Jeffrey is dead. He was killed by vampires." Wow, what a way to be gentle. That was way harder than it should've been.

Niki just looked at him, an unchanging blank expression on her face. "Oh" Was all she said. Her tone remained unbothered, carefree. It caught Ranboo a bit off guard.

The room was silent for only a moment, before her facial expression changed into one of sorrow and hurt "Oh my... That's horrible." A big contrast to her state just a few seconds ago.

'I guess it took her a moment to process it as well' Ranboo guesses. He gets it, it was hard for him too.

"That's just truly awful." She continues

"How do you know?" She asks suddenly.

Odd question, alright, Ranboo can work with this. "I, uh- I had a run-in with a vampire hunter, he escorted me home because of the curfew. He was the one who told me." He answers.

Something flashed in Niki's eyes, though, Ranboo missed it. "A vampire hunter?" Her tone changed again, the teen couldn't really understand what emotion was behind it.
"Yeah, one with the butcher army. He asked me about Jeffery and I-" "What did you tell him?" There was something urgent in her voice. Concern, worry, fear? Ranboo couldn't tell.

"I told him that Jeffery used to work here. I'm pretty sure he's going to want to talk to you, since, you know, you were Jeffery's boss and it's sort of part of his investigation. I hope that's alright..." he trailed off, making the wary decision to make eye contact with her, just for a moment.

Niki's expression was unreadable, she seemed to freeze.

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, before reaching her hand up to her temple, rubbing it as she slowly exhaled.

"Of course it's alright, Ranboo..." She opened her eyes again, looking up at the teen as she smiled softly again "Thank you for the heads up about the investigation thing, I appreciate it."

The conversation was a bit of a blur after that, they both fell into a comfortable silence.

A silence Ranboo decided to break when he opened his mouth to ask a question. "I know this is kind of a crappy time to ask but-" a good place to begin "I was kind of wondering if I could discuss my work hours here, at the bakery. Since the whole curfew thing, I can't exactly work during late hours, I'll get fined. I was wondering if you could move my shift to an earlier time..?"

He broke eye contact, glancing down at his hands, before quickly adding "Only if it's okay with you, though-" she put her palm up, signaling him to stop talking. He quickly shut his mouth.

"Definitely, Ranboo." She chuckled slightly "Besides, with one less employee, I'll need someone else to work his shift." Kind of a weird thing to say right after learning about said employee's death, but okay. He continues to listen.

"Really?"

"Sure! I'll text you the hours when I figure them out. Does that sound good to you?"

The lanky teen could only smile and nod in response, that was a relief.

"By the way, do you plan on re-dying your hair? Your roots have grown in quite a bit." she pointed out. "I can help you with that if you want, like last time. Could be really fun."

Oh, that's right, he actually wanted to talk to her about that too. Thankful for the reminder, he responded "Yes, actually, that sounds great. But I do need to find the hair dye bottles first. I kind of lost them somewhere in the apartment."

The baker snickers a bit at that "That's alright. Let me know when you find them, I'd love to help." Her smile was comforting, as always.

"Now-" she began "you should start heading home, it's getting late. I'd like you to be home before the sun sets." Ranboo couldn't help but think of Quackity when he heard those words. Sounds like something he'd say too.

Niki reached her hands to grab at the plastic bag containing the box with the cinnamon rolls, she took one out and handed it to the lanky teen. Then proceeded to close the box again, tying a knot at the top "They're in a container, so they should stay warm for a while. Try to eat one on your way home, okay? It’ll warm you up a bit, you should really start wearing your jacket." Her hand outstretched to hand the bag to the teen, who took it in his own, with his grocery bag gripped in his other hand. "Be careful out there. Remember, you promised me." She reminded him.

"Thank you, Niki. I mean it." He really appreciated the baker, she's done so much for him without needing to.

In a way, he saw her as an older sister.

----------x-----------

Walking out of the bakery and into the street made Ranboo feel an instant difference, as the cold air immediately enveloped him. He shook slightly at the major change in temperature. He should hurry home, he doesn't want to freeze out here, that would be an awkward way to go.

He takes a bite out of the pastry that Niki gave him, it warms his cheeks a bit. Though, that warmth disappeared when another cold burst of wind hit him.

His pace quickened as his thoughts trailed off in an attempt to distract himself once again.

Thoughts that were interrupted, when he heard a loud, piercing sound ringing through the air.

Ranboo's eyes darted towards the noise, finding exactly what he expected.

A murder.

A murder of crows, of course, not an actual murder.

Ranboo vaguely remembers reading somewhere that a group of crows is called a murder. And that's the scene that presented itself in front of him. A group of crows. A murder.

He wonders if anyone else other than him feeds them, they seem to be hungry again.

He silently decided to pour them more food then he previously did, now that they grew in numbers. He's happy that they seem to trust him, he's gained new friends.

The teen catches a glimpse of his apartment in the distance, and he starts walking once more. He glances behind him, noticing that the crows are following him. He smiles to himself.

---x---

The apartment is slightly warmer than the outside, and Ranboo is relieved.

Enderchest runs into the living room upon hearing the door open. Seeing her human at home again, she ran up to Ranboo, rubbing her head against his legs. He smiles at her, careful not to step on her tail as he makes his way to the coffee table near the couch to place down his bags.

He glances at the living room window, his eyes catching sight of multiple crows perched outside. He smiled at them, before turning away to open one of the kitchen cabinets to take out the bag of cat food.

He opened the window, only a small enough gap to put the food out onto the old rug. The crows immediately began to eat, seemingly enjoying themselves.

Ranboo pulled his hand back, closing the window as he watched them.

A disturbing image placed itself at the front of his mind, a scenario where he'd be the one they feast on, tearing into his unmoving flesh as they consume him.

Ranboo ignores it. Doesn't he have an assignment to complete?

Chapter Text

The Angel Of Death.

A name that has struck fear and terror into the hearts of mortals for decades, centuries even.

He had made sure humanity knew he was a force not to be meddled with.

The people sometimes wonder if the creature ever went by a different name. Even if he did, it was surely long forgotten by now, right? The monster has earned his title for a reason, his actions speak for themselves, making him worthy of his reputation.

He has hurt so many people, so many innocent beings that just tried to live out their lives in peace, not bothering others. They were undeserving of the beast's cruel actions.

He has eyes everywhere, paying attention to every single detail.

People used to pray, they used to pray to never catch the angel's attention, to never cross paths with him, never have his eyes tear into their souls before leading them to their painful demise.

There were those who thought him to be a legend, a simple horror story that parents told their misbehaving children to keep them in check.

Deep down, those people knew, they knew that they were in denial. They knew that no matter where they go, no matter where they run to- the angel of death is standing just around the corner, he's waiting for them, with malice engraved into his cold, unmoving heart.

The Angel Of Death.

He has slain endless armies. So many battalions fell under his hand. Nations were sweeped off the maps by this bloodthirsty creature, with no remorse or regret shown in his ice cold eyes. Not a single drop.

Countless heroes, knights, kings, hunters and even other bloodsuckers fell into dreadful silence upon the mere mention of the man. Eyes darting all over the place, checking every corner for his dark feathered spies, wary of every slight movement.

No mercy, no remorse, no guilt. None of it plagued the angel's soul.

The Angel Of Death.

A fitting title for a creature, a monster, a vampire such as himself.

This beast, this horrific being, this unfeeling and cruel monster-

His name is Phil, actually. Believe it or not.

And he currently has his face buried in his hands, with his elbows leaning on a dining table as he tries not to weep, a thick blanket draped over his shoulders.

He was pouting.

The sight was honestly kind of pathetic. There he is, their sire, their father, in all his glory.

What happened that led the angel of death himself to such a state, you ask? Well you see, the man got into an argument... with his birds...

Well, to be fair, it's a bit more complicated than that- Everything happened so fast. The eldritch being might've said some things he didn't mean, and well,

If you ask Technoblade, the crows were kind of overreacting.

Still, seeing his father like this... It brought him no comfort. He wanted nothing more than to help the man who has helped him more times then he can count, it ruins him to see his sire drown in such despair. It's so unlike him.

The blood god and the siren observed from behind the door, as an angel fell from his grace into a pit of sorrow, and the two of them could provide little to no help.

Wilbur turns to his brother, and Techno knows what to expect;

"He's been like this for a while. I tried cheering him up but" he pauses for a moment "It didn't really help..." Technoblade didn't like the pang of sadness in his brother's voice, nor the sight of his sire like this.

He decides to remain silent though, inclining the charmer to continue speaking. The brunet looks back up at the blood god. "Can you go out with me tonight? To track them?" He asks.

Techno tilts his head, his loose pink hair falls over his shoulder as he leans on the large wooden doorframe. "I thought Tommy said he's gonna handle it with Philza. Did he change his mind?" he finally spoke, keeping his voice quiet so as to not alert their father.

The siren shook his head slightly "No, he didn't. In fact, he's determined to bring them all back to dad. It's just that-'' his mouth remained open for a few seconds, contemplating his next words.

"Dad and Tommy skipped out on the reunion meal that Niki offered because they spent the entire day searching for those feathery fucks. Not only did they not find them at the end, they was so fucking exhausted when they got back home because they didn't eat beforehand." The brunet scrunched his brows as he glanced down at his feet.

"It took me forever to convince Tommy to go to sleep, he's finally resting." His brother's voice is uncharacteristically shaky, and Techno has to stop himself from enveloping him in a tight hug right there on the spot, to calm him. He knew this probably isn't a good time for that, though.

Techno lets out a sigh, observing his fellow coven member. The poet looks pretty tired himself, worried for their youngest brother, no doubt.

It wouldn't be a good idea for him to go out tonight.

He puts his hands on the brunet's shoulders, gripping them gently. "It's fine, Wil, I'll handle them for the night. You should stay here with Phil and Tommy. No offense, but you look like garbage right now." Despite his words, he tried to keep his tone gentle, hoping it would help convince his stubborn brother.

The charmer looks up at him, his brows still furrowed. "Fine, whatever." The blood god lets out a sigh, relieved, as he lets go of his brother's shoulders.

Said brother turns his heel and steps through the door, into the room, making his presence known to their sire as he sits next to him at the dining table. And as much as Technoblade wants to stay with them and chit chat, there's work that needs to be done. Crows that needed to be tracked down.

Techno closes the doors, they're not as quiet as he'd like them to be. He turns away, to his own bedroom.

The vampire needs to get some stuff before going out. Since the sun is still up, he's probably going to stand out in the crowd, no doubt attracting the unwanted attention of vampire hunters. So he can't go out in his usual wear-

That means no cape, no crown and... no recognizable poet shirt... Techno bites his inner cheek in spite.

He decides to put on a convincing but comfortable disguise. A red hoodie with golden crowns embroidered on its upper left and right sleeves caught his attention, along with black baggy pants. It should help him stay out of trouble, covering his head with the hood.

Still, he shouldn't leave unarmed. He can defend himself just fine without any weapon, it's just that in a fight with a vampire hunter, it's best to be prepared for anything.

'The dagger would be just fine.' the blood god thinks.

He opens up one of his drawers, picking up a golden patterned dagger, it's deadly for both humans and vampires alike, a gift from Phil, actually.

He smiles at the memory, sliding it into a small sheith and putting it into his sweatshirt's pocket.

As he walks out of his room and into the long hallway, he bumps into none other than his father, who stumbled back in surprise, glancing up at his son.

Technoblade took a moment to observe the angel of death. His green knitted cardigan was out of place, with one long sleeve hanging just above his elbow. His hair fell over his eyes, covering them slightly. Usually, the golden hair cups his face nicely. Though, at the moment, it stuck out in every possible direction. His eyes were half-lid as he looked at his son, a bit puffy too.

He looks so tired.

Phil smiled weekly at his son "You heading somewhere?" His voice was strained, a bit shaky too.

"Yeah, I'm going out for the day, should be back by nighttime. Don't wait up for me." Techno's voice was monotone, it hid his concern well.

He was silently grateful for having a good poker face, he didn't want to worry his father any more than he already is. The weeping angel needs to rest.

"Go to sleep, Phil. You look like shit."

The angel barked out a laugh at his son's comment, though, both knew it was bittersweet.

"Yeah, I'll head to bed soon." He lied.

"Sure." Was all Technoblade said before turning to walk away.

He needs to find those damn crows. Quickly.

---x---

The streets were unusually busy that afternoon, and whilst the blood god hated the company, he didn't mind the opportunity to blend in with the crowd. More people means less chances of hunters spotting him. Good.

Technoblade strangely finds himself admiring the architecture of the apartment buildings. Sure, they were a bit old fashioned, but they were well kept and were easy on the eyes. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he noted that they must’ve been built a long time ago, maybe when the town was first established. The vampire shakes these thoughts out, he needs to focus, he went out for a reason, he shouldn’t get so distracted.

He kept his eyes pointed at the sky. Hoping to catch a glimpse of the winged bastards in trees or the rooftops, searching for any sign of his father's crows being around.

He had no doubt that they were around here somewhere, even if uncharacteristically silent. He had found so many black feathers, and if spending centuries with the angel of death taught him something, it's how to recognize a crow's feather.

Occasionally, he'd bump into someone, though, he'd ignore their complaints. Why did they have to be so damn loud? Would it kill them to just shut up for just a minute?

It's okay though! The stunt that he, Niki and Wilbur pulled a few nights ago caused local departments to issue out a mandatory curfew, which means these people should be heading home in a few hours.

All this unnecessary noise won't be a bother for much longer. Though, he'd have to be more careful when they do clear the streets, since the number of vampire hunters patrolling the area will most definitely increase during night hours.

That's okay. Technoblade is nothing if not careful.

---x---

Alright, it's been hours, and the vampire had no results to show for his search around the main roads of the town. Unless you count a fistfull of crow feathers he picked off the ground "results".

The trails lead everywhere. Techno wouldn't be surprised if those jerks were watching him right now, they'd be amused at the display, it seems right up their alley.

He collapses on a street bench, stuffing his hands into his sweatshirt's pocket. He fiddled slightly with the sheathed dagger.

His thoughts start to drift off, this isn't going well. Like, at all.

Techno took one of his hands out from the pocket, reaching beneath his hood to pull a few hair strands between his fingers. He frowns a bit. Usually, he’d braid his hair before going out, sometimes even asking one of his fellow coven members to do so for him. Not today though, today he went out without even a hair tie to put his hair up in a ponytail, causing rebellious strands to get in the way of his sight.

His gloominess is interrupted by a familiar sound, a sound he practically grew up on.

A loud caw rang through the air, and the blood god immediately perked up, straightening his back and regaining his energy as his head darted towards the sound.

A crow, it was a crow, and it flew right above him.

The vampire quickly got off the bench, standing up before following in pursuit, keeping his pace quick. His attention fully on the bird.

He should've stayed alert.

He should've been paying attention.

Maybe if he had, he could've avoided the situation he'd land in soon.

---x---

The more he went, the less pretty the surroundings became, overfilled bags of trash at the entry of every apartment building. The architecture was somewhat similar, but the structures were in horrible shape, not well kept at all, with overgrown weeds and mold between most cracks. A part of town that is less fortunate, Techno assumes.

The crow was quick, but so was Technoblade. He won't let it get away, not like this.

Where was it even flying? Its home was with them, with Phil, so what the hell is this crow's destination?

His questions were soon to be answered when the crow came to a stop at what seemed to be a four story apartment building.

The building looked old, run down. Techno wouldn't be surprised if it reeked of mold from the inside, though it was clear it had residents, indicated by the dim lights behind all the closed curtains.

The vampire's eyes darted to look back at the crow who unintentionally led him here.

The beady eyed bird flew down to perch at the edge of a closed window, up on the third floor. A squint of the eyes revealed to Techno that it was indeed not alone up there. Surrounding it were other crows, a lot of them, actually.

It takes the blood god a moment to realize that there were crows everywhere, all around the building. He didn't need to count them all to know that this was the entirety of his father's flock.

They were so silent, too distracted to notice him.

They're staring at something.

Techno traces their stares back to the third floor. The closer ones are glaring at closed gray curtains, unable to see inside the apartment itself.

What the hell are they doing up there? What brought them here? Was there an unspoken danger here that him and his coven were unaware about, or was it just the murder's own undying curiousity?

Techno felt a headache settling in fast, as question after question flew past inside his head.

Questions that he didn't get to figure out answers for, as he suddenly heard quick sharp footsteps approaching at a rapid speed behind him, followed by a swing of something metallic.

The creature didn't get to turn around, before he felt a sharp pain on his back. He collapsed on his elbows, letting out a snarl, feeling his cold blood dripping down his arm.

Techno couldn't help the hiss of pain that escaped his mouth as the weapon lodged into the back of his shoulder was pulled back, presumably to strike him once more,

The blood god took the chance to reach into his pocket in an attempt to take out his dagger. Trying to get himself in a stable stance, he only got as far as scrambling to his knees before he felt the dagger being kicked from his grip, followed by a painful kick that made him fall back on his chest. He could only hear his blade hit stone, as he finally managed to turn his head to glare at his assailant.

In front of him stood a short man. Void dark hair covered by a blue beanie and a long white scar tore through the flesh of his bottom lip and cheek, revealing his teeth even with his mouth closed. It stretched through his left eye, ice cold, blurry and unfocused.

Technoblade knew this man, how could he not?

After all, he's the one that gifted him with the scar.

Quackity.

But how the hell is he still alive?! Technoblade remembers leaving him for dead, bleeding out from his face. He remembers hearing the man choke on his own blood.

It's that moment of uncertainty, that moment of horrible hesitation, that doomed Technoblade to feel another strike of pain in his lower body, as Quackity lunged his axe into the blood god's stomach, receiving another pained hiss in return. The hunter glared daggers down at the bloodsucker beneath him.

Technoblade needs to get the hell out here.

He reaches his fingers to grip at the axe's blade, careful to not touch the sharp edges with the bottom edges of his palms, as he puts all his strength into pushing it out of him, into pushing Quackity away from him.

It was a struggle with the vampire hunter having the upper hand in the situation. Still, he couldn't overpower the vampire for long. Techno managed to kick at the hunter's ankles, catching him off guard and causing him to pull back.

Technoblade didn't miss a second, he quickly got to his feet and stepped back, just far enough from Quackity, who seemed to get back to his own senses as he got into a fighting stance.

Techno gripped at his wounded stomach, blood staining his already red hoodie. It’s hard to breathe-

Wait, when was the last time he had to breathe? What’s happening to him? There is no way in hell that that is a normal axe, it wouldn't have such a strong effect on him otherwise- he felt like he was going to collapse at any moment.

He looked back at where the hunter stood a second ago, only to catch sight of him swinging his weapon once more, aiming towards his face this time. Technoblade barely managed to react, taking another step back.

He wasn't quick enough this time, it seems.

He felt a sharp pain settle itself on his left cheek, right beneath the eye.

'It's fine' Techno told himself 'That one's just a scratch.' He ignored the stinging pain on his face, suppressing a whine. No way in hell was he about to give this man the satisfaction- His eyes caught sight of his precious gifted dagger on the ground, near Quackity's feet. There's no way Techno can get to it without getting into axe-range.

It solidified something in his mind.

Technoblade can't fight.

Quackity's axe is made of some weird fuckin' material, or maybe it's laced with something. Doesn't matter, not now. He can theorize about this idiot's axe later, when he isn't in a death threatening situation.

The vampire can feel himself rapidly losing strength, it's only a matter of time before he blacks out. He can't be near the vampire hunter when that happens.

In that moment, the blood god made a decision he wouldn't usually make in this type of event.

There's no way Technoblade can fight him in this state, but maybe, just maybe...

he can outrun him.

Chapter Text

Ranboo did not complete his assignment. In fact, not only did he not do it, the boy pushed it so far into the deep folders of his laptop, that it would take about half an hour trying to dig it back up.

He has given up. He is willing to do literally any other assignment other than this one, any work given to him shall be done. As long as it's not given to him by Mr. Wastaken, he'll do it.

What kind of man combines math with English, and then phrases it like a goddamn riddle? Mr. Wastaken was a monster, Ranboo had no doubt.

The menacing smiley face that he drew on Ranboo's notebook once glared daggers back at the boy, who pouted and shoved it back into his backpack.

Look, you can't say he didn't try. He did, he really did. But everyone needs to have a line in the sand and Ranboo draws it at the sinful combination of math, English and the size 9 font that his teacher insists for all his students to write in. His head hurts.

Ranboo leans back at the bottom of his stiff couch, stretching his legs beneath the short coffee table. He takes in his surroundings. His laptop laid open on the table, the dim light emitting from its screen seemed much brighter in the dark room with the curtains closed, it strained his eyes slightly.

The teen, for what was probably the 4th time this week, closed his assignment tab and closed his laptop. He stood up from the couch, stretching his arms above his head and letting out a yawn.

He palms at his closed eyes. It's way too early for this...

Ranboo might've spent the entire night trying to complete his work, to no avail. He felt regret pulling at his strings as another yawn escaped his mouth.

He wouldn't mind getting a wake-up call at the moment, something to shake him back to consciousness, something to do.

Maybe Enderchest is in a playful mood. He turns his head, eyes starting to glance around his living room.

Where's Enderchest?

The cat usually hangs around him when he's at the house, this is quite odd for her. Maybe she's fallen asleep? Yeah, that sounds like her.

Still, if she's asleep, Ranboo at least wants to give her a good scratch behind her ears. The motion always makes her purr. The boy starts making his way to his room, also known as Enderchest's favorite nap spot.

When he gets through the door frame, he finds a surprising display in front of him.

His cat, Enderchest, is not actually asleep like he thought. In fact, she seems wide awake and quite agitated.

She stands on her four paws with her back arched in a defensive position, her ears practically pressed against her skull. Her pupils dilate into thin slits as she glares. silent growls emit from her as her tail swings violently behind her.

Ranboo is immediately on guard. What's Enderchest so afraid of? It's not him, it can't be, she's never scared of Ranboo, so what's gotten into her? If his cat is scared of something, then it must be very dangerous.

He moves his eyes, tracing where his cat is glaring at.

The window curtains. Or, well, what must be behind them.

He slowly makes his way past Enderchest, ignoring the way she suddenly hisses in alarm. He knows it's not directed at him.

He grips the edges of the two pieces of cloth that cover his window, contemplating if he should actually check what's behind them. The teen feels fear build up in the back of his throat, he looks back down at Enderchest, checking to see if his cat is alright. Her pupils dilated into even thinner slits, somehow-

The two of them are stressfully silent, and Ranboo comes to a dreadful realization upon seeing that his cat isn't making any noise anymore.

Something is tapping on the glass behind the curtains.

There aren't any trees around this building, so it can't be simply tree branches moved by the wind-
Ranboo's heart skips another beat.

Is someone at his window?

How?! He lives on the 3rd floor, what kind of madman decides to climb up three stories?
He almost wants to take a step back, to get as far away from the window as he can, but finds that he can't, it's hard to move.

He's terrified.

His grip around the cloth tightened, his brows furrowed as he held his breath.

Ranboo swings the two curtains to their respectable sides, hoping to be ready to face what's behind.

.
.
.

He collapses on the ground, quick exhales escape his mouth as pure utter relief makes him hear his own heart beat furiously inside his chest, trying to calm down.

It was just some crows.

They were just tapping on the glass with their beaks.

Ranboo laid with his back pressed against the old wooden floorboards, he palms at his eyes again. A small whine escapes his mouth as he turns his head to the left to see Enderchest remain in the same position, glaring at the crows like her life depended on it.

He sighs "Calm down, they're probably just hungry again." The teen reaches to run his fingers through her fur, catching the cat's attention after a couple of seconds. She visibly relaxes at the touch, leaning into it too.

Still, besides her pupils dilating slightly as the teen rubbed her head, her eyes remained in their nervous state. She was clearly still agitated by the crows.

Ranboo decides the best course of action is to take Enderchest out of the room, so she can calm down fully. She clearly doesn't like the crows, despite them not posing any actual threat.

'Cat instincts' he guessed, picking the fur ball into his arms as made his way out of his bedroom. He ignored the sounds the crows yelled out as he went out of sight once more.

Ranboo walks through the narrow hallway leading to the living room with the cat in his arms leaning over his shoulder. The teen can only assume she's glaring at his bedroom door.

The boy settles on the couch, legs crossed with Enderchest resting in his lap. She reached her head towards Ranboo's hand, a silent invitation for him to keep scratching it and the tired teen smiled as he accepted.

Talk about a wake-up call, that whole thing made Ranboo wide awake.

Enderchest suddenly gets back up on her paws, she claws slightly at the boy's legs before leaping out of his lap and onto the creaky floorboards. She makes her way out of Ranboo's eyesight, towards the kitchen, she must be hungry as well.

The boy gets up once more and makes his way around the coffee table, careful as not to bump into it, before walking into the kitchen area himself.

His cat is already there, pacing around her small metal bowl, clearly asking for food. Ranboo obliged, taking out the bag of cat food from the cupboard and picking up Enderchest's bowl. The sound of dry food rustling against the metal causing her to let out pleading noises. The teen chuckles slightly, his heart still beating rapidly from previous events.

It's odd though.

Cats always have an eye out for danger, their instincts almost never falter.

But those were just crows back there. They're not dangerous, they're just regular birds.

"Ah-" In his distracted state, the cat food overflowed the bowl slightly, a few pieces fell on the counter. He picked away the excess food and slipped it back into the bag before putting the bowl down on the ground for Enderchest to enjoy.

From where he stands, Ranboo can see the window in the living room, covered by the gray curtains. He picks up the cat food bag, approaching the window. He misses the pause Enderchest makes, as she herself turns to look at the teen before turning to glare at the window, slightly pressing her ears against her head.

Ranboo casually opens the curtains, looking outside the glass to see what, at this point, he considers normal.

A murder of crows perched outside, looking at the teen eagerly. The boy smiles at them before opening the window wide enough for a small gap and reaching a fistfull of cat food outwards.

The crow closest to his hand began to peck it slightly, food still in hand. It startled Ranboo in the process. It didn't hurt or anything- In fact, it kind of tickled. It just caught him by surprise, is all.

He proceeded to pour fistfulls of food out on the rag, watching as the crows began to eat again. Ranboo pulled his hand back and closed the window.

He turned his head back only to see Enderchest stand near his feet, staring up at the crows behind the glass.

They stared right back.

Ranboo didn't like this tension. It was like they were having a violent staring match. He decides the best thing to do is to close the curtains again, since his cat and his crows aggravate each other so much. It's for the best.

As the room was shaded once more, curtains covering it from the bright sun outside, Ranboo walks over to the living room's light switch and flips it on. Hey, it's better than the risk of his cat lunging at the birds and bumping her head against the glass, that would definitely hurt.

A ring came from his phone, a notification, Ranboo picks it up to read its contents. It's an alarm clock he set up the night before, for his new shift at the bakery.

The boy puts his phone in his bag, before turning to his room to get ready.

Niki had texted him his new working hours, which were more than reasonable. They were pretty great, actually.

He took out his white button up and picked his tie. The boy glanced at his memory book, it layed closed on his bed. Ranboo wanted to reach for it, to check his reminders, but was interupred by the sound of his cat, she called to him from back in the living room.

He ran out and could only watch as Enderchest tried to claw at the curtains. Ranboo snapped out of his trance, picking her up and looking at her with a warning eye. "Enderchest, that's enough! What's gotten into you?" She only meows loudly in response.

Ranboo put her down on the couch, a disappointed look laced his face as he watched the cat curl up into a ball.

A sigh escapes him, before he turns away and to pick his shoes up, near the entry door. The teen tied two loose knots, before grabbing his messenger bag.

He steals one last glance at his living room.

Enderchest has returned to sit near the curtains, looking up at them as if they ruined her life, her tail swings behind her and Ranboo can tell that she's scared.

But he knows that there's nothing to be scared about behind the curtains.

It's just crows.

He turns away and unlocks the door before stepping out.

---x---

Okay.

That's okay, this is okay.

Everything is A-O-K!

Ranboo's grip on the strap of his bag tightens slightly. Jackets are overrated anyway, he doesn't feel cold at all. Yup, totally warm.

The way to Niki's bakery is short, for the most part.

Ranboo made a habit out of counting the bricks on the street pavement and it provided a great way to distract himself.

However, that was when Ranboo's shift hours were during the evening, when people started to desert the streets and they weren't as crowded. Now however, is daytime, and the people are up and running.

Ranboo has unfortunately bumped into three or four people, muttering out an apology. He should really pay more attention, he already has a bruised nose, he didn't want to add onto that.

He looked up from the pavement, seeing all the people around him. Oh boy, there sure are a lot of them. The streets have been so deserted for the last couple of days, Ranboo has almost forgotten how many people actually live here.

For such a small town, it sure is overpopulated.

But hey, if people felt more comfortable going out now, that meant that Niki has more business coming into her bakery. That's good.

---x---

He enters the bakery, the soft warmth enveloped him and he takes a breath.

The air has the scent of freshly baked bread, it's pleasant for the teen who approaches the counter, passing a few tables.

"Niki, are you here?! He calls for his boss, who quickly walks out of the staff room with another worker behind her, it's Jared.

"Ah, Ranboo, you're here, great!" She exclaimed as she passed him a notepad "Can you help with the order taking? One of the other waiters called in sick so we're a bit short on staff today." she explained. "Yeah, absolutely." He takes the notepad off her hands and waves slightly to Jared, who's behind the baker. He waves back at the boy, a smile on his face. Jared is nice.

Niki and Jared went back into the kitchen, and Ranboo began his work.

---x---

The boy is working extra hours per his request. So hours passed, some staff left, some went on break, some came to work their later shifts, and Ranboo was there for it all, with breaks, of course.

Niki was in the kitchen and Ranboo had his elbows leaned against the counter, he was watching the clock on the wall, intently.

The door to the bakery swung open and the bell above it rang, signalling about a new customer.

Ranboo turns his head, ready to use his customer service greeting and take their order.

He falters though, not expecting to see the person in front of him. A person with a blue track jacket, dark hair mostly covered by a beanie and a scar stretched across his face.

Quackity gave the teen a warm smile as he spotted him, reaching his hand up in a greeting. The boy smiled back "Hi, welcome to Niki's, can I take your order?" I mean, come on, there's no indication that the hunter is here to have a friendly chit chat session with him, he probably wants to order something and leave.

Quackity snickers slightly. "Sorry, I don't want to order anything at the moment." He starts "I'm actually here to see your boss? Niki, was it? Yeah, I tried coming here yesterday but she wasn't here. I wanted to check if she came in today so that I could talk to her." He explains.

The 'so that I could talk to her about Jeffery' goes unsaid, but Ranboo knows what topic the hunter is here to discuss with his employer. "Yeah, she's here, should be in the kitchen. I can go get her." He offers "Thanks, man. That'd be great."

Ranboo walks into the kitchen, only to see that Niki isn't there. Instead, Jared from before is there, he's putting something into one of the ovens.

Ranboo furrows his brows "Hey, uh, where's Niki?" He asks. His coworker turns to him "Oh, she just went out. Like, out the back door." He pointed at the door behind him with his thumb " 'said she'll be back in like 20 minutes, seemed kind of in a hurry." The Brit explained.

"Oh..." Ranboo didn't exactly know how to respond, he avoided Jared's eyes.

Jared inspected the teen for a moment, then glanced up at a clock behind him. He turned back to Ranboo.

"Hey isn't it time for your break?" He asks. Ranboo glances behind Jared, at the clock.

Yep, it sure is.

"Yeah but Niki isn't here, don't you need help-" Jared cuts him off there "Listen, if Niki comes back and finds out you skipped your break because of me, it'll be my ass on the line." He reasons, a tint of amusement in his voice.

"Besides, it's not like the place is filled to the brim with people demanding baked goods. I'll be fine on my own. Go rest, play on your phone or somethin'." Ranboo smiles at the man "Alright, thanks, Jared."

Ranboo turns back to the door, walking back out to see Quackity, who smiles at the boy as he exits the kitchen.

"Sorry, Quackity. Niki just left... But she should be back soon, she just needed to go somewhere real quick." He explained to the hunter.

Ranboo expects the hunter to be slightly disappointed at the news, but the scarred man just shrugs "It's no worry, I can wait for a bit, I'm not in a hurry." He reaches his hand to his beanie, readjusting it slightly. "Actually-" the hunter starts "are you free right now? If you're on break we can chat until she comes back."

Ranboo assumes he heard his conversation in the kitchen with Jared. He looks up at the clock hanging on the wall, smiling, "Yeah, actually, I have about ten minutes worth of break time right now, I don't mind at all."

The hunter smiles in response, before turning to the row of tables behind him, eyes drifting from each one as he ponders where to sit, Ranboo decides to chime in "There. the one on the far right, next to the window, it's the best one." He points out, walking past the counter and next to Quackity, who nods at the boy "Aight, sounds good."

The two pull two chairs out at opposite sides of the table, sitting down in their seats.

The sunlight from outside the window shines on Quackity's face, creating a dark shadow over his left side. It covered the man's scar, almost as if hiding it from the world.

Honestly, he looks very relaxed for someone who came in here to investigate a murder case. One done by a vampire, no less.

Then again, this is Niki's bakery, it just has that effect on people, the place radiates comfort to all who come to enjoy it.

The hunter puts his elbows on the table and leans on the back of his hand as he looks at the teen, who actively avoided staring directly into Quackity's eyes, looking down at his own hands.

"Not a fan of eye contact, eh?" The short man speaks, even though it’s true, the statement catches Ranboo a bit off guard.

That's not the usual reaction he gets. He's not that used to people pointing it out so simply, other than Niki, that is. She had pointed out this habit of his about a week after meeting him for the first time. Back then, Ranboo avoided all her questions about it, not caring to go into details.
That much didn't change, he's still pretty uncomfortable with the subject.

"Yeah sorry, I just-"

"Nah, it's fine, kid. Really, you don't need to explain yourself, I get it, I can respect that." The hunter's voice was a bit low, gentle with his words towards the boy in front of him.

The teen anxiously raises his head to look at the man.

Quackity wasn't looking at him, not staring right into his soul.

Instead, the man was looking out of the large window they sat next to.

His head was still in place, leaning on his hands, but his eyes were glancing at something outside.

"I don't like it much either, I get it."

Quackity's words were a mere whisper, probably more to himself than to Ranboo.

Still, the teen decided to keep the man's words in the back of his head.

They fell into a comfortable silence, the warmth of the place felt nice to Ranboo, and he hoped it felt good for Quackity as well. The quiet wasn't awkward or anything, it just felt right. There wasn't much to say, it was just two people enjoying each other's company as they looked outside the window, watching people pass by the bakery, rushing to wherever they needed to go. Some were laughing with their friends, some were alone, and some were talking on their phones as they passed. They were all focused on doing something.

The boy and the hunter watched them, both interested in the people's actions. For different reasons, probably. Still, it felt nice to have someone around while you do something, even if they didn't speak at all.

Their quiet session was interrupted by a soft cough. The two looked behind them, seeing none other than Niki herself.

The baker was looking at Quackity, something flashing behind her eyes, though Ranboo missed it.

"Oh, you must be Niki, right?" Looks like Quackity wants to start the conversation first.

"It's good to finally meet you. My name's Quackity, I'm here on the Butcher Army's behalf. I'd like to have a few words with you about one of your former employees, if it's alright with you." The scarred man's back straightens, and the teen across from him can tell that he's attempting to approach the bakery owner in a professional manner, probably taught to him as a hunter.

Niki turns to look at Ranboo for a moment, before drifting her eyes back to Quackity. She smiled at him "Of course." She responded.

Now, Ranboo has known Niki for a while now. So however she tries to hide it, the teen can tell when there's a hint of worry in her voice.

The baker turns back to Ranboo, smiling kindly "Ranboo, do you mind helping Jared in the back while I speak with Quackity?" The mentioned man chimes in "Yeah, you probably shouldn't to be here for this one, kid."

Ranboo nods at the two. Adult business is adult business.

He gets up from his seat, making space for Niki to take his place in the chair in front of the hunter, before turning to walk towards the kitchen. His break is over anyway, he should get back to work.

He decides to go check if Jared needs help with cleaning the dishes.

---x---

Quackity watches the kid disappear from his eyesight, waiting to be sure that he won't hear their conversation before looking back at the suspect.

Ranboo shouldn't have to hear an actual interrogation, he's just a kid.

He looks over at Niki, who has her eyes pinned on the hunter's face, though, not at his eyes.

The hunter can only assume that she's staring at his scar, he suppresses the urge to scowl, keeping up a smile on his face, despite his rising anxiety.

He reaches into his track jacket's pocket, taking out a ballpoint pen and a small notepad decorated by different star doodles and duck stickers.

"So Niki," Quackity starts "You own the place, right?" He gestured around the bakery, then pinned his pen against the now opened notepad, ready to write her answers.

"Yeah, that's right, I run the bakery." She answers, her hands intertwined with each other. Quackity hums in response as he scribbles her answer down. The hunter’s handwriting is neat and steady, much to his pride.

"Okay great." He mutters "Now, please correct me if I'm wrong, but to my knowledge, a man who went by the name 'Jeffery Cordell' used to work for you, in his establishment." He states. "Yes, he's worked here before." Niki confirms what Ranboo told him a few days ago. He already checked to see the records, he knew the victim used to work here, Quackity just wanted to check if Ranboo's boss would lie to his face. He's relieved she didn't.

"Now, I'm not sure if you've received the news, but recently, Mr. Cordell was victim to a vecious vampire attack, he didn't make it." He informs her just in case. "Yes, I've been told as such. A tragedy, really." the baker looked down at her hands, fidgeting slightly with her fingers.

"Yes, I agree. A tragedy." the man continues "We've concluded that Mr. Cordell was last seen here, with you, before he got attacked. Do you have anything to say against that conclusion?" He asks, checking her facial expression for any changes.

Niki sighs, she glanced up at the hunter, her lips in a thin line and her brows furrowed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Quackity, I'm not sure how to respond to that..." She pauses, seemingly careful with her next words "All I can really tell you is that Jeffery came into his shift that day, did his thing, and left. I didn't see him again after that, I stayed here and worked in the staff room for the next few hours." She explained.

"Was there anyone with you during that time that can confirm your alibi?" the hunter asks, the tip of his pen remained on the same spot on the paper, creating a small stain of ink.

Niki's eyes light up for a moment "Yes, actually. There was another employee who worked with me during those hours, he can confirm my presence here."

Quackity looked down at what he wrote, then flipped the page, before clicking his pen once more. "I need a name please." He's ready to write down her next words.

"It seems you two have already met, he was just here. His name's Ranboo." Her words are clear, but they seem blurry in Quackity's ears for a moment. "Pardon?" He invites the baker to repeat herself. "Ranboo. My employee's name is Ranboo, the one who sat next to you just a few minutes ago."

He knows the kid's name damnit- that wasn't the problem here.

"Ma'am, isn't he a teenager?" "Yes."

The hunter stays silent for a moment, unsure of how he should phrase his next question without crossing any professional lines.

"Don't you think it's a bit dangerous giving late night shifts to a child? A child who probably has school the day after? Especially with literal vampires roaming around?" He tried not to let anything slip into his voice, trying to remain unreadable.

The baker just shrugs, "Ranboo doesn't mind." She reasoned, much to Quackity displeasure. "Besides, the rumors weren't confirmed back then."

Quackity inhales sharply, then lets out a long exhale, exhausted. He can't let this get personal. The kid's working hours are none of his business. Who's he to worry about him? He has parents for that. The hunter almost scowls at the thought. What kind of parents allow their children to be out so late?! Maybe he should have a talk with them- no, it's none of his business.

This is work, he needs to remain professional.

But isn't the teenager's safety a part of his work? Isn't his job to protect the people? He shakes his head, this isn't the time for attachments.

He glances up at Niki, who has her eyes sternly focused on him. He tries not to grimace.

"Alrighty then!" Quackity flips his notepad closed "I think that's all I needed. Thank you for your cooperation, Miss, your bakery looks lovely." He forces himself to smile at her, honestly displeased with the results of the quote on quote "interview". It was more of an interrogation on his part.

Niki smiles back at him, though Quackity can tell it's just a facade, same as him. "Of course. Anything to help the Butcher Army."

Quackity stands up to leave, but pauses when a tall teenager steps out of the kitchen with a small rag, beginning to clean the counter.

The hunter stands still for a second, making a decision on pure impulse.

"Actually..." He starts, catching Niki's attention back "Do you guys do deliveries? If so, I'd like to put in an order for my team and I, if it's okay."

Niki's eyes widen a bit, clearly surprised, she opens her mouth to answer. "I mean, sure- Hey, Ranboo!" She calls "Come here real quick, Bring a notepad!"

Ranboo raises his head to look at the two, before reaching across the counter to grab a notepad and approaching the table they were at.

The boy smiles at Quackity, wide and genuine. The hunter can't help but return the favor, smiling right back.

"What can we do for you, Quackity?" He asks, pinning his own pen against the paper, ready to write.

Quackity hums, considering something simple but nice. "A batch of twelve chocolate cupcakes, like, a dozen." The teen nods, writing it down, before looking back up at the hunter "Do you want any frosting on those? Decorations, maybe? or just plain chocolate?" He asks.

Quackity considers it for a moment, before shaking his head "Nah, I can't exactly remember what each of them like personally. Plain ol' chocolate will do just fine." Something in his words made the teen chuckle slightly, continuing to write.

"Great. By when do you need this order done?" He asks. "In two days. It's going to be one of my employee's birthday, so it'll be a nice treat for ‘em."

Ranboo smiles at him, closing the notepad "Understood. It can be done easily by then." The teen proceeded to go back behind the counter, to the cash register, typing something out. He printed out a receipt, ripping it from its place and walking back to where Quackity stood, handing it to the man.

The scarred man looks at the receipt, having to squint a bit due to one of his unfocused eye. Heh, maybe he should get a monocle, it'd look funny on him.

"Looks great." he states, grinning up at the teen.

Quackity finally steps away from the table, and walks over to the large door, pulling it open.

He turned his head back to look at Ranboo, who waved kindly at him.

The hunter didn't miss Niki standing behind the boy, sending him a glare. He ignored it, stepping outside.

He should start patrolling the area soon, be on the lookout.

---x---

Ranboo put his phone into the front pocket of his messenger bag, clasping it close.

Hours passed once more, the sun was starting to set outside the bakery, people were starting to desert the streets once more. The curfew will begin in an hour.

He turned over to where Niki was standing. She was washing her hands, Jared stood next to her, waiting for her to finish so that he could wash a few utensils before leaving like Ranboo.

"I'm heading out. Bye, Niki. Bye, Jared."

The two turned to him, smiling. Jared simply waved at him, before finally approaching the sink and turning it on, putting the dirty spatula beneath the water stream.

Niki smiled at him "Bye bye, Ranboo!"

He reached his hand to the door handle, pulling it open and stepping outside.

He was immediately greeted by a shiver running down his spine, reminding him of the freezing weather. The teen wonders if it's supposed to start snowing soon, he wouldn't be surprised if it did.

Hey, since it's getting late, the streets are almost empty again, and Ranboo can lose his focus without having to worry about bumping into anyone, which is neat.

The street lamps above Ranboo flickr, the teen looks up at the light, and an unfortunate realization dawns on him. Ranboo frowns.

He didn't turn off the living room lights when he left the apartment, did he? Ranboo mentally face palmed at the conclusion.

The fool left his lights working for hours, what a waste of electricity.

He scowled, rubbing his shoulders as another breeze hit him. The sun was already down, despite the somewhat early hour, it's a sign that winter is coming.

Ranboo shuddered at the thought. With winter knocking on the door, his bad habit of forgetting his jacket might become deadly. He ignored that thought, it's too unnerving to think about.

The more he walked, the less people he saw. Not that he was disappointed. I mean, it's better than having some random vampire hunter that's not Quackity yell at him for being outside even though he's on his way home.

The roads started to become more familiar, he was reaching his apartment building soon. The teen's eyelids droop at the image; just him and his cat, just falling asleep.

Ranboo was unfortunately snapped out of his dreams as he heard a painful sounding scream ring through the air.

It came from his apartment building, and his heart missed its mark, as the fool decided to run forward.

The sight that greeted him made his breath hitch, stuck in the back of his throat as he froze in place, shoulders tensed up.

There, right in front of his own apartment building, a figure laid on his stomach, trying to balance himself on his elbows as an axe stuck out from his shoulder, blood showing a clear stain through red cloth.

Above the figure, stood a man Ranboo had spoken to just earlier that day, with the sun shining on the grin tugging on his lips.

Quackity reached his hand to grip the handle of his axe, ripping it out of the man beneath him, who let out a painful hiss.

Ranboo wanted to run, to get as far away as he could from this horrific scene. He found that he couldn't though, he couldn't move a muscle, he was frozen in place, terrified. It almost reminded him of this morning, with the crow that was pecking at his window, though, This time it was clear to Ranboo where the danger is, no doubt about it.

The blood- oh god, there's so much blood on the pavement.

Light from above shined on Quackity's face.

Contrasting to his prior meeting with the hunter at the bakery, the light from the street lamp near the two shined right on his scarred side, drowning the other half in a deep shadow.

Any trace of warmth that was on the hunter’s face when the teen last spoke to him was gone. His features were blank, unreadable. His visible eye, blurry and cold as he swung once more, pinning the man down again and shoving the axe further into the stranger’s stomach.

Ranboo could barely recognize the monster in front of him as Quackity.

The man seemed so kind, so caring- What the hell is all this?!

The teen's legs started shaking, his grip on the bag's straps tightened like his life depended on it as he struggled to blink, unable to process the sight.

The man beneath the hunter suddenly managed to push Quackity off him, struggling up to his feet. He just stood there for a moment, staring at the scarred man, and Ranboo had to wonder if he's frozen like him.

He looks hurt, really hurt. Blood drips onto his hand as he grabs at his stomach, long pink hair covering the stranger's face from Ranboo's view, though he can hear rough panting even from where he’s standing.

The hunter lunges again, and Ranboo's heart almost stops. Is he about to see Quackity murder this guy? Is he about to see a man die? Here? Now?!

Thick tears started gathering at the corners of his eyes, wide and scared. He has no idea what to do- what CAN he do???

The stranger took a step back at the last moment, seemingly missing Quackity's blade just barely.

There was a beat, a moment that was stuck in time, before the man's legs suddenly began to move, turning, and-

Running.

The man started running, and Quackity gave chase after him.

It felt like hours for Ranboo, before his own legs felt like they were able to move themselves. And Ranboo slowly made his way to his apartment's doorstep, still shaking as he tried so hard not to let any more tears fall. It felt like if let himself breathe, he'd break down, it was all too much.

He stopped at the large pool of red liquid near the entrance to his home, and a horrible conclusion settled itself in his head as he looked at the actual amount of blood.

Even if the stranger got away from Quackity, he'd die from blood loss for sure.

The teen had to put a hand over his mouth quickly, stopping a sob from escaping. The tears were already running again, unable to stop now.

He stepped over the puddle, almost gagging as the light from the street lamps made him see it in clearer light.

Why the hell did Quackity do that? What was he thinking? What's wrong with him?!

Ranboo wanted to puke, he wanted to reach his apartment door before throwing up on the ground. That would be disgusting.

As he put his hand on the handle of the entry, pulling it open, he heard quick steps behind him. And as fast as he possibly could, he turned his head to look.

It looks like the blood-dripping stranger ran in a circle. Ranboo can't blame him, the alleyways here are like a maze if you aren't familiar with them. The man was quickly glancing around him, with his back turned to the teen, clearly panicking as he seemingly understood that he wound up at the same place as before. He turned his head to the alleyway he just came out of, probably looking for Quackity, though the hunter was nowhere to be seen. He probably lost him.

He still hadn't noticed Ranboo, who stood frozen with his hand gripping the door handle.

The stranger started swaying from side to side, before his grip left it's place on his bleeding stomach, and he collapsed forward.

Ranboo watched. The man just laid there, unmoving.

Was he dead?

Ranboo came down from the doorsteps, slowly approaching the slumped body.

The man's pink hair was laying in his own pool of blood, but it looked like he was breathing heavily, as if struggling.

Ranboo's eyes widened- the man was still alive! Sure, he was unconscious, but he was still alive!

Suddenly, the teen was in a daze.

He could hear Niki's voice ringing through his head, it was something she had said to him just a few days ago and the boy complied immediately without a second thought.

‘Be careful Ranboo.’ He remembers making a promise to her, and he isn’t about to break it. He quickly glanced around the area, checking for any sign of danger, of Quackity.

At that moment, Ranboo made an impulsive decision. One that would change his life forever.

---x---

Ranboo pushed his apartment door open with his leg, the stranger's arm around the teen's neck as he dragged the man inside.

The living room lights were already on- that's right, Ranboo forgot to turn them off when he left.

Enderchest immediately came into the room, running, curious about the commotion.

She hissed loudly at the sight of the stranger, Ranboo doesn't have time for this- "Not now, Enderchest!" The boy exclaims as he dropped the man on the couch and immediately rushed to grab a medkit. He has one, he's sure of it.

He ignored his blood soaked hands, they shook as he opened every single cabinet and drawer, searching for the small box with medical supplies.

It's not much, but it'll stop the man's bleeding and might save his life- Ranboo had to take that chance.

He opens the last cabinet, taking everything out after he spotted the box, rushing over to the stranger's side.

But before the boy could get to work, he stopped in his tracks. A question from before rose once again in his head.

Why would Quackity do this?

The short man treated Ranboo with so much kindness, why would he do this to a defenceless guy-

Ranboo's eyes widened, realization hitting him like a truck.

Quackity was a vampire hunter, he hunts vampires.

The teen's eyes drift back to the limp body on his stiff couch. His eyes were closed, unaware of his surrounding. His pink hair was almost glued to his face through sweat. But that wasn't what Ranboo was focused on, no. The teen watched as the stranger gritted his teeth in pain. And there, the boy could make out a pair of sharp canines, along with tough looking tusks at the bottom of his lip.

Damn, there was a vampire in his apartment.

Ranboo shook his head. It doesn't matter, not now. The man- the thing- whoever or whatever this is, is dying. He doesn't have time contemplating the hunter's actions. What he did was cruel, vampire or not.

The teen crouched down on his knees, next to the couch.

Let's start with the wound on the shoulder-

Chapter Text

Ranboo didn't go to sleep that night.

There's no way he could anyway, even if he wanted to. The boy had brought a stranger into his home, whose blood left dark stains on the fabric of his couch. Ranboo did manage to scrub some stains off the wooden floorboards, though some was stuck there for good, it seems. Well, it's not anything a well-placed rug can't take care of. That wasn't Ranboo's biggest concern at the moment.

For the most part, he managed to stop the stranger's bleeding. The boy's stitches aren't the greatest but they're not terrible, considering that his hands were shaking the entire time he did them. He did a decent enough job, in his opinion.

Though, there was one last wound he hasn't taken care of.

Well, not a 'wound' per say. It's more of a deep slash on the man's cheek, beneath his eye, just a scratch, really. It's not like the two deep axe wounds on the guy’s stomach and back, that were deadly, he can't just sew it shut like he did with the other two.

The teen frowns, the long hours worth of sleep deprivation pushing down on his eyelids as he tries to not have them close, he can't sleep right now. Ranboo stood up from his place near the couch and Enderchest was silent near his legs, staring at the damaged man on their couch, wary. Ranboo walked past her, trying to get to the kitchen.

Maybe there's something to treat the stranger's scratch in there? Ranboo isn't sure, he's just tired, letting dizzy thoughts take over. Didn't he leave a pile of bandaids on the counter? Yeah, he's pretty sure he did. Cute yellow ones, with small orange ducks printed on them. They were given to him by a new friend he'd made just a few days ago when Ranboo bumped into him-

The teen stops in his tracks, a bandaid already in hand as his thoughts try to catch up with his current, unfocused state.

The new friend, the one he bumped into, the one that was kind to him, the hunter-

Quackity.

He's the one who did this in the first place, the one who wounded the stranger who almost died on his couch.

Why would he do such a thing? He showed nothing but kindness and patience towards Ranboo, so what the hell is all of this-

The boy's mind almost immediately supplied him with an answer, an obvious one, at that. He had already connected the dots earlier, when he just arrived home, but that was hours ago, when he was stressed and was fueled on adrenaline, carrying an unconscious man into his apartment, he wasn't thinking straight. The night's events began to catch up with him.

Quackity is a vampire hunter, he kills vampires, he wouldn't go after innocent people.

His eyes drift to the man laying on his couch, his breathing still raspy. Ranboo doesn't really know anything about this man, does he? I mean, all he saw was Quackity attacking him, but he doesn't have any context. He only arrived at the scene after hearing a scream, he didn't see what happened that led Quackity to attack the vampire.

For all he knew, the creature attacked Quackity first and the hunter only acted in self defense! Or maybe the vampire threatened someone else, a civilian, and Quackity defended them as part of his literal job-

Ranboo didn't really consider any of that when he first brought the vampire into his home. The more he thought about, the more stupid he felt about his decision to help the guy out. The teen felt regret piling up.
What was he thinking? It was such an impulsive decision, he just panicked, he wasn't thinking of the consequences in the moment.

He shook his head, it hurts to think.

Whose side is he on here? The kind hearted hunter, or the hurt man in his home who clearly needs help?

From Ranboo's short experience with him, Quackity doesn't seem like a bad guy, and he doesn't know enough about the unconscious creature on his couch to make a judgement of his character.

The teen approached the vampire on his couch, a bandaid held tightly between his fingertips as he stood above the limp figure.

He needs to make a decision.

Right here.

Right now.

He needs to decide if he's going to help this man, or turn him over to Quackity.

It's a hard decision, it feels like he's picking a side and, boy, does he hate it. This is all too confusing, too much.

He doesn't have any context for tonight's events, he doesn't actually know who's in the right here- Does it even matter? Does it matter which side he's on? Right now, there is a dying person in his living room, he should focus on that.

Opening the eyes he didn't realize were closed and seeing the wounded creature in front of him- Ranboo inhaled through his nose, holding his breath as he got back down on his knees, near the couch.

He peeled the yellow bandaid open, balancing it above the stranger's face before taping it on the small slash on his cheek as gently as he could, whilst still making sure it stays on.

He already brought the vampire into his home, he can't just kick him out to the curb, that's cruel.

The wounds aren't bleeding anymore, the creature's scratch on the cheek is patched up with a goofy-looking bandaid, and Ranboo waits for him to wake up, all whilst trying to fight against his own need to rest. He can't fall asleep, not now, not in front of someone that could potentially kill him, no way in hell.

He silently wondered if the vampire would be willing to answer some of his questions when he woke up. No, that's a terrible idea, it would be rude too. Ranboo shouldn't overwhelm a wounded stranger with a bunch of ridiculous questions.

A small meowing noise made the teen turn his head to look at his cat, who had been patiently sitting next to him on the floor in front of the couch until her caretaker would notice her.
She rubbed her head against his ankle, letting out a quiet purr and Ranboo couldn't help but melt at the sight.

That's right, Enderchest stayed awake along with him. All this time, she's been following Ranboo around the apartment as he panicked, shook and ran around looking for things to help this newcomer, offering her full support as the boy was stressed out of his mind. She hasn't slept a wink either, staying up along with Ranboo, who didn't even notice throughout the whole ordeal.

He reached his hand behind her ear, giving her a much deserved scratch as she leaned into the touch, pleased with the attention.
The teen looked over at her food bowl near the entrance to the kitchen.

Enderchest deserved a good midnight snack, she stayed up just for Ranboo, he should let her know that she's appreciated. God, he loves this cat so much.

The boy stood up again, resulting in his cat doing the same, ready to follow where he goes next. He walked into the kitchen, getting the bag of cat food from the top of the counter and walking back towards his cat's food bowl, pouring a generous amount as a reward.

Enderchest immediately reacted by letting out a soft noise and diving into it, joyfully eating her meal. Ranboo watched in delight, poor kitty must've gotten hungry in her wake.

Speaking of which- a noise emerging from his own stomach implied that he was in the same position as his cat.

Hungry and sleep deprived. Yep, that fits.

He did buy some instant foods. Maybe he should make something real quick, put something in his system and get back to watching over the stranger to check for any changes. Ranboo walked over to the cabinet and took out an instant noodle cup, before pausing in his tracks.

He glanced back to the couch, where the stranger lies, almost motionless.

Won't this guy be hungry when he wakes up? I mean, he's a vampire, do vampires even eat normal food? If he wakes up and finds that there's nothing else to eat, will he try to go for Ranboo’s blood instead? The teen isn't willing to find out. He goes back into the kitchen cabinet, taking out an additional cup, for the stranger.

‘Instant purée and instant noodles’

Ranboo has no idea if the vampire would enjoy instant food, but oh well, it's what he's getting.
Though, he isn't sure when the creature would wake up anyway. The food might get cold by that time.

He hears Enderchest's raspy meow, signaling that she's done with her food for now, she ran back to the teen, rubbing her head against his ankles,

And getting in his way.

"Enderchest, please, I need to get to the kettle, I need to turn it on-" the cat didn't move away, she began circling the teen. Looks like he has no choice, Ranboo needs to move her manually. He crouched down to her level, trying to pick her up and earning unimpressed eyes from the cat.

"Sorry..." The boy set her down near the entrance to the kitchen, before heading over to the kettle and checking the amount of water it contained. It wouldn't take long for it to boil, he just needed to kill time with something distracting.

He exited the kitchen, passing the unconscious stranger on his couch and entering his bathroom. The first thing he sees is his reflection in the mirror, and boy, is it an unpleasant sight.

He didn't get a chance to change when he got home, so he was still in his work uniform. His white button up was now covered in red stains that he'd have to wash well, and his tie out of place. His hair, which was previously in a short ponytail, was now loose and had stray strands sticking out from every side and angle. The circles under his eyes were a concern as well, he hasn't gotten a lot of sleeping hours lately, and it seems he won't get any in the near future. He doesn't know how comfortable he is with resting whilst there's a vampire in his home, even if it is a wounded one.

Ranboo turned on the sink, letting the cold water drip on the palms of his hands before he splashed his face in a weak attempt at making himself feel more awake.

The boy just kind of stands there for a few minutes, lost in thoughts of nothing. He wasn't really sure what to do. Should he pass the time until the vampire wakes up? And then what? What was he supposed to say if the vampire immediately decides to attack him? Wounded or not, there's no way Ranboo could outrun a creature like that--

He pinches the bridge of his nose, feeling the bandaid underneath it. The more he thinks about the situation, the more confused and unsure he gets.

He leaves the bathroom. Hopefully, the water has boiled by now and he can continue the instant meals. Ranboo sees Enderchest sitting near the couch, her gaze not leaving the unconscious vampire.

Should he… do something about that? He doesn’t want Enderchest to get hurt either. If Ranboo has no shot of defending himself against this thing, then Enderchest is definetely out of the question. The teen should put her somewhere safe, the bathroom, probably. Although he can’t lock the door from outside, he can still close it and put something to prevent the door from opening.

He glances down at the unconscious man on his way into the kitchen quickly, his hunger getting the better of him.

Hopefully, the vampire won't kill him when he wakes up.

Chapter Text

It's cold, it's so cold.

His limbs ached, they felt limp. His eyelids were glued shut and his breathing was heavy.

Breathing? When was the last time he had to breathe? Why would he need to breathe? He isn't even alive. His heart hasn't beaten in centuries, so why is there a repetitive and heavy pressure on it?

Technoblade felt a bead of cold sweat stuck to his forehead, he felt like he wanted to puke, he felt-

He felt human.

What the hell happened to him? Where is he? Why can't he move? Questions piled up rapidly in Technoblade’s mind as he felt, for the first time in so many years, as the pace of his heart quickened, and he began to panic.

He forced his eyes open as he struggled to balance himself on his elbows. What the hell was he lying on? What is this place? He glanced around- well, he tried to. It was more like his eyes darted in every corner and direction to try to identify his location. It was an unsuccessful attempt, as everything seemed blurry and unfamiliar.

Techno knows that he needs to get out of this place, fast. He moves to get up, only to be hit with a strong wave of pain in his stomach. It catches him off guard, and he couldn't help but let out a pained whine as he reached the wound with his hand. Suddenly it all starts to come back to him. He was attacked by a vampire hunter. Attacked by Quackity-

Quackity... Isn't he supposed to be dead? Technoblade was sure he killed him- the hunter actually survived that?! His presence in front of the blood god took him by surprise, Techno wasn't ready for the fight and that was his downfall.

Why hasn't he healed up by now? Even with a cut this deep, Techno is still a powerful vampire. He had worse wounds then this and he always healed up just fine, so what makes this time different? The blood god tried to give his foggy mind an explanation; The axe that the hunter used must have been laced with some sort of poison, leaving Technoblade's current physical state in the way it is now.

What kind of poison could even do that? What's it made of? Does it only affect vampires? Are there more side effects that he hasn't gotten to yet? None of the racing questions in the man's brain received answers, they only grew in quantity as the blood god clutched at his side, trying not to make another sound.

In his daze, the vampire forgot that he was in uncharted territory, and was swiftly thrown back into his panic as he heard a set of footsteps approaching. His rapid breathing came to a halt as his eyes darted up towards the direction of the sound, waiting for the stranger to emerge.

Time felt like it slowed down.

Technoblade has no idea what this place is. For all he knew, it could be Quackity's vampire hunter HQ or wherever the hell he hangs out at. If so, then why isn't Techno tied up? If he's actually been caught, there's no way they'd leave him in a room alone and without restraints. The blood god was running away from the hunter and there's no way he actually got away from him in his current state- he literally passed out in the middle of a chase, blacking out.

How is he supposed to get out of here? The room begins to look even blurier in his eyes, is he going to pass out again? Shit, he can't lose consciousness again, he can't leave himself unguarded. Techno felt another wave of pain wash over him when he tried to move again. This time, on his back- that's right, Quackity slashed him there too.

"Oh shoot!"

The blood god immediately looked up in the direction of the unfamiliar voice, hand clutching his stomach even tighter.

The blurry figure in front of him moved quickly. Techno couldn't react fast enough in his dizzy state and soon felt hands press on his back.

"Please don't move, I think one of the- yeah, one of the stitches on your back got ripped, I'm so sorry." Stitches? What stitches? Why does he have stitches- Wait, who the hell is this guy?!

With the tiny amount of force he could muster, he pushed the person away from him with one hand before collapsing back on his elbows. The guy tripped back and fell to the ground. Good to know that even in his current physical state, the vampire can still show a hint of strength. God, how pathetic.

"Wow- okay uh, hello, please don't hurt me, I'm sorry I just kind of sprung up on you, my bad- I didn’t mean any harm, please don't hurt me, I didn't mean to scare you."

The stranger's voice sounds almost frantic as they speak, waving the palms of their hands in front of them as if showing a scared rabid animal that they're not a threat.

Wait- scared? What are they talking about? Technoblade isn't scared, he's pissed off. Who even is this person?! Why isn't the blurriness going away?! His breathing starts acting up again, it hurts like hell.

He's putting too much pressure on his elbows, it's all too much. He collapses on whatever he's laying on. The blood god hissed a breath through his teeth as he felt the sting of his stomach wound upon making contact with whatever he fell on.

"Hey hey hey, it really isn't a good idea for you to move right now, um-" the person sputtered "please stay on the couch, or you might get yourself hurt-" Techno ignored them, he doesn't know their intentions, nor is he willing to find out.

Unfortunately, that isn't up to him. As he tries to get up again, he feels the pain on his back come back tenfold, and immediately falls off whatever he’s laying on, and onto the ground.

"Ohmygod- uh, sir- SIR, I don't think you can go anywhere right now-" is that a challenge?

"Oh god, the blood is back-" Techno heard the stranger's voice become fainter along with their footsteps. Did they leave? Technoblade couldn't bother to look up and check, he just clutched onto his stomach as tightly as he could, as if it would ease the pain on either of his wounds.

Spoiler alert, it didn't.

The pain got worse, and he felt something cold drip down his back. God, it stings so much. Where is Phil? Is Phil safe? He really wants Phil right now. He'd know what to do, his sire would calm him down, he always does. Where is he? Is he okay? Shit, it's hard to breathe again.

He felt tears start to appear at the corners of his eyes as the world got even blurrier. What the hell is happening?! This isn't normal, this never happens to him, is he going to die?! Is this what death actually feels like?! No, no he can't be dying, he already died- he died centuries ago, he can't die again, he can't.

Distantly, he heard a voice. It seemed to be concerned, but he couldn’t understand what they were saying, nor did he recognize them. It's too deep to be Wilbur, Tommy or Phil, it doesn't sound like them at all- who was this person? What do they want with him?

The world went dark.

---x---

The next time Technoblade opens his eyes, the world isn't blurry anymore.

I mean, his head felt like it got hit by a truck and was being crushed by a tractor but it was definitely better than before. But whatever he's laying on, it's stiff and uncomfortable, like the roughest excuse for a mattress he ever felt.

He reached his hand to rub his eyes. God, this all feels like the aftermath of a really shitty nap. Was it all just a nightmare? He moved his hand towards where the stomach wound was and-

Nope! It definitely wasn't just a nightmare, It's very real and very painful.

"Please don't touch your wounds again, my stitches aren't good enough to hold on if you meddle with them."

Technoblade felt himself jump slightly. Startled, he immediately turns his head to look where the voice came from.

They sat cross-legged, a bit far from where he layed, wary and ready to get up and run if the situation demanded it. Without all that nausea from before, Techno can actually process what they look like now.

This appeared to be a young human, probably in their teens, wearing a white button up shirt with what looked like- with what looked like blood stains. Okay wow, that might be from Techno's own wounds.

A maroon tie hung loosely around his neck and his black dress pants seemed to have dark stains on them as well. Blood too, probably, along with a goofy looking yellow bandaid plastered on the bridge of his nose.

Though, their most noticeable feature was actually their hair.

It looks like it was originally dyed to be black and white, split in the middle. But dirty blond roots grew back, long, and it definitely hasn't been redyed in a while. It actually looked kind of cool, if you ignored the circumstances of this whole scenario.

It took an awkward cough from the human for Techno to realize that he's been staring.

"So... I'm just gonna get to the point before anything else-" he starts "My name is Ranboo, I'm not a threat, like, at all. I stitched up the wounds on your stomach and back, but they're kind of wonky so it's not a good idea to move much, you should stay on the couch for now. I think I did the stitches a bit better this time but it would still really hurt with any sudden movements." He spoke quickly, nervous.

Technoblade didn't catch any of that. He wasn't focused enough to process what the human said, or cared for it.

Instead, he asked him a question, as calmly as he could.

"Is there anyone else here?"

The human raised an eyebrow "Uh, no. It's just me." He answers.

Okay, cool, Technoblade can just kill this guy real quick and go back home- his thoughts are interrupted by a stinging pain the moment he tries to move and he has to suppress a yelp. All that comes from that is a pained hiss as Techno's grip on his stomach tightens.

"I literally just said it's not a good idea to move." The human stood up from where he stood and began approaching the couch.

Actually, as he got closer, Techno realized that this guy is a lot taller than he first thought when he sat far away from him. He probably wasn't taller than him but he was definitely taller then Wilbur, and that just feels wrong.

"Like I said, I'm not a threat-" "Yeah, I can tell." The blood god interrupts, annoyed and louder this time.

The kid immediately took a step back, startled. "I... Didn't expect that kind of voice." Techno raised a brow "Excuse me?" The human shook his head "My bad, sorry, I was just caught off guard-"

That, Technoblade can understand. It wouldn't be the first time someone commented on his voice and it wouldn't be the last. Hell, even to this day, his own coven members get jumpscared by it. Not that he minds, really, he actually really likes it. It's entertaining to spook his family once in a while, especially that brat of blond boy.

The awkward silence between the two was interrupted by a cat's wail, instantly catching the human's attention. The boy walked past the couch and Techno's eyes were glued to his back.

"Enderchest-- how did you get out of the bathroom?! I literally locked the door." The human spoke in a loud-hushed tone. Great, this guy speaks to a cat like he would to a person, totally isn't weird.

Actually, Techno probably shouldn't judge someone like that. He's seen Phil talk to his crows as if they were his children, treating them as if they were siblings to the members of the coven.

They're animals, for goodness sake.

The cat kept wailing as it circled the human, not allowing him to walk away before he scooped it up into his arms.

"I'm so sorry for that, she's kinda clingy-" the human started walking back to where he stood earlier, in front of the blood god, with a somewhat safe distance. Techno could only blink slowly in response.

The vampire knows too little about the situation to devise a plan to leave. This human seems to be scared and honestly kind of stupid, so questioning him shouldn't be too hard. Techno just needs to be careful and gentle with his wording so as to not freak him out like he did earlier.

"Where am I and what do you want from me?" Wow, what a way to be gentle with his wording.

the kid sputtered, scratching the cat's forehead as it clawed at his bloody button up "Well uh, like I said before, my name's Ranboo-" "Not what I asked." You know what? Let manners be damned and thrown out the window, Techno wants to get the hell out of here.

"Right, not what you asked- Well, this is my apartment. You are in the living room of my apartment." The kid's mouth hangs open for a few seconds, as if contemplating how to continue his sentence. "You collapsed outside the building after a fight and I took you inside to patch up your wounds because you were bleeding a lot and I thought you were going to die and I panicked."

Okay, lots to unpack there.

Number one, he saw the fight.

Does this person know that the hunter attacked him because he's a vampire? There's a big chance that this human just saw Techno as a random guy who got attacked in the middle of the night, and tried to help out. If he doesn't even know that Techno's a vampire, he might not have any ulterior motives and is just stupid-

"I know you're a vampire." Well shit, nevermind. What does this guy want then?

"And?" The blood god asks " 'and' what?" The human retorts.

"You know I'm a vampire, and what are you going to do with that information?" Before the human could even respond, Technoblade continues; "Hold me hostage before my coven? Turn me over to the hunters for a cash reward? What's your plan here?" He tried to sound as monotone as he could. He wasn't worried about the hostage situation, he knows his family wouldn't fall for something like that, But the latter option was concerning. With the revelation that Quackity is still alive, and is probably currently looking for him, Techno couldn't afford to be found in this state, he'd be screwed.

He tries to continue, "Because let me tell you, neither would end well for you, beca- AH, FUCK!" but gets interrupted when the cat jumps from the human's arms and onto his lap, causing him to jump and startle his stomach wound.

"Enderchest, what the hell?! God, I'm so sorry about that-" The boy quickly reached to grab the cat back from the vampire as Techno clutched onto his stomach for dear life, letting out a pained hiss. He looked up at the cat in the human's arms. It stared at him with big innocent eyes, as if it did nothing wrong.

"I'm really sorry about her, she's not usually like this." The human scratched the cat's back as it let out a loud purr. Technoblade felt mocked.

"I'm not planning to do anything, I swear. Like I said, I saw the fight happening, I saw you bleeding out, and I took you inside to patch you up, there's nothing more to it." The human spoke, avoiding eye contact with the vampire, staring at something behind him instead.
"The moment you feel capable of leaving, go for it. I literally just panicked."

The blood god's hand finally unclutched the pesky wound on his stomach, and he looked up at the human in front of him.

Techno has no way of confirming anything this kid just told him, but he can't really do anything about it with his current injuries. If worst comes to worse, this human doesn't seem strong at all, Technoblade could definitely take him if he tried anything.

Then again, it would be foolish of him to underestimate a human again. He underestimated Quackity too, and that mistake almost cost him his life. He should stay on high alert around this guy... And his cat...

It's still glaring at him...

The blood god took in a deep breath, running his hand through his sweat-soaked hair, before finally catching eye contact with the human.

"Alright, then." He starts "My name is Technoblade."