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Tommy may just be the unluckiest person alive.
He was having a completely fine and normal day before this. He woke up, looked at the strange words inscribed on his arm, ate, did some training, had lunch, looked at the words again, did some more training.
But later that evening, one of his superiors told him to check on the traps, which isn’t something he normally does, but whatever. So Tommy went around the neighbourhood, monster killing weapons in hand, as he checked on the various traps. Most of the traps had been empty. Good for him, not very good for his job.
But of course the very last trap had to have something in it. Just his luck.
The vampire heard him coming, of course it did. But the silver net it’s caught in stops it from fleeing, and it struggles weakly as it dangles from the tree.
Tommy cautiously approaches the captured vampire, lantern in one hand and wooden stake in the other, grip tight.
See, Tommy’s never actually killed anything before. Yeah, he’s training to be a monster hunter, but that’s all it’s ever been so far.
Not that Tommy is scared or anything. Of course not! That would be ridiculous.
Just a wooden stake through the heart and it should die, right? Hopefully the silver has weakened it enough so he can just get this over quickly.
As Tommy approaches, he can pick up the rasping breaths of the monster. It stops struggling. A pair of bright red eyes stare at him, glowing in the darkness. The lantern’s glow shines off of its teeth as it flashes its fangs.
Tommy puts down the lantern, holding the wooden stake in shaky hands. “D-Don’t try anything, alright?”
Suddenly there’s a soft, golden glow, coming from inside the net. The vampire freezes, demeanour shifting as it takes its attention off of Tommy, looking at the glow.
Tommy freezes in turn. Was that-?
The vampire looks back at him, expression thoughtful. Then it speaks.
“Well, that’s interesting.”
A soft gasp escapes him as Tommy feels a rush of warmth on his arm. He doesn’t need to look down to see that the words on his arm are glowing.
The letters on his arm, which are meant to be the first words his soulmate says to him… This vampire said those exact same words.
Tommy’s brain feels like it’s malfunctioning as he processes this information.
His soulmate is a vampire?!
Finally, Tommy blurts out “What the fuck.”
A vampire? A vampire.
His soulmate is a vampire. Great.
Like he said, unluckiest person alive.
The vampire shifts in it’s - his? Their? - place as it shrugs. “Look man, I’m just as shocked as you,” it - they say. “Though I pretty much knew you would be human, but a hunter? That’s a bit messed up.”
“My soulmate is a monster,” Tommy mutters in disbelief.
The vampire frowns. “Now, that’s just rude,” he says, offended.
Despite the oddity of the situation, not to mention the sheer wrongness of it all, a part of Tommy feels drawn to this person-monster. His soulmate. Tommy had always dreamed of the day he would finally meet his soulmate, but he never imagined it would go like this.
The universe must think this is so funny.
Tommy grips the wooden stake tighter in anger. “Fuck you, man,” he seethes. “Y’know what it’s like to find out your soulmate is a fucking bloodsucker?”
“You know what it’s like to find out your soulmate is a hunter?” the vampire counters, looking unimpressed. “This is new for me too, y’know.”
Tommy growls under his breath. “I should just fucking stab you right now.”
“Do it then.” The vampire’s red eyes stare at him challengingly. “I dare you.”
Tommy squeezes the stake in his hand, no doubt getting splinters, before he deflates.
He can’t kill this vampire. They’re soulmates, so if one dies the other will practically be depressed for life. That is if the depression doesn’t kill you first.
The vampire hums knowingly. “Thought so,” they mutter. They sigh. “Well, if you’re not gonna kill me, you might as well let me go.”
Tommy glares. “And let you wreak havoc all over town? I don’t think so!”
“I’m not like those other types,” they sniff. “Unlike them, I actually have standards.”
Bullshit. A monster is a monster, no matter how you look at it. “Still not letting you go!”
“Well, what choice do you have?”
Tommy is silent when he realises he doesn’t really have any other choice.
If he leaves the vampire here, they’re just going to die anyway, either by starving or by another hunter.
Fuck, is he sympathising for a monster right now?
Tommy groans. “Fine, but I’m doing this only for myself!”
“As expected.”
Tommy ignores the comment as he walks around to the back of the tree, giving the captured vampire a wide berth. Soulmate or not, he still doesn’t trust them. He keeps the wooden stake in hand as he undoes the trap’s mechanism. After half a minute of struggling with the lock (why do they make these things so complicated?) there’s the clinking of silver and a small thud as the net falls to the ground.
Tommy watches warily as the vampire stands up, brushing themselves off. Oh god, he’s a tall fucker. Tommy can’t make much of their features with the low lighting from the lantern other than their fancy looking clothes and their pale skin.
The vampire turns to him, eyes crinkling up in a smile. “Thanks!” he says cheerfully.
Tommy remains on high alert, because he just let a vampire loose. Oh, his boss is going to kill him if he finds out.
The vampire takes a step forward, and Tommy scrambles back. The vampire raises their hands in a placating gesture.
“Do I get the honour of knowing the name of my soulmate?” he asks hopefully.
Tommy crosses his arms with a glare. He doesn’t let go of the stake. “No,” he grumbles.
The vampire seems to deflate, but he takes it in stride. “Well,” they say. “Mine is Ranboo.”
Ranboo. What a weird ass name.
The vampire smiles again, the gesture seeming genuine. “If you need me, just call.”
And with that, the vampire is gone.
Tommy shudders. Freaky vampire speed.
Tommy looks down at the words on his arm. They’re no longer faded, instead they’re a bright gold.
He looks away, covering the words with his shirt sleeve.
As Tommy gathers his things he thinks about what this all means for him.
His soulmate is a vampire. A vampire called Ranboo. Lovely.
Just fucking lovely.
Y’know what, Tommy’s just gonna pretend this never happened. He’s gonna cover up those damned words and he’s never going to think about this ever again.
Tommy remembers the vampire’s words.
Just call.
He scoffs under his breath. Yeah, like he’d do that.
Tommy has the uncanny feeling of being watched.
The moment he stepped out of his house he felt a pair of eyes on him. Tommy’s tried to brush it off and go about his day, but the feeling just won’t go away. It even seems to grow stronger, even when surrounded by a sea of people when he arrives at the marketplace.
He finds himself looking over his shoulder. But there’s no one. No one out of the ordinary at least.
Tommy goes on with his shopping. Ugh, the Hunter’s Guild never pays him enough, so he only has enough money to get a few things, and it doesn’t help that prices have gone up. Like, three pieces of gold for one loaf of bread?! What the fuck!
Tommy goes from stall to stall, getting his food and doing his best to ignore the vendors trying to sell him different kinds of jewellery and fabric. Never in a million years could he afford that, plus he doesn’t need it. Though if Tommy were still living on the streets, he probably would’ve been bold enough to steal a necklace or two.
He walks along where the crowd starts to disperse, sifting through the items in his basket. Alright, bread, milk, cheese, that should do. And that leaves him with two gold coins left. Hopefully that will last until his next pay day.
Tommy is so preoccupied with his groceries that he forgets all about the eyes watching him.
Hands suddenly grab onto his shoulders, quickly pulling him into a dimly lit alley as he drops his basket in surprise. A cold hand covers his mouth, and Tommy panics, beginning to struggle in the person’s strong grip.
“Calm down,” a voice says. “It’s just me.”
...Wait.
He knows that voice.
Tommy stops struggling.
“Are you not gonna scream if I let you go?” Ranboo asks.
Tommy sticks his tongue out, and the hand covering his mouth recoils. The vampire makes a noise of disgust as they let go of Tommy, vigorously wiping their hand on the paints.
“What the hell? Did you just lick me?!”
Tommy spins around to face Ranboo. “What the fuck,” he whisper shouts. “Are you doing?!”
Tommy can see Ranboo better than lhe could the night before. The vampire is wearing a fancy hooded cloak (how can a cloak be fancy?) with similar styled clothing underneath. Their fluffy hair is a dark, dirty blonde, and they have green eyes (wait, weren’t they red?). Tommy thinks that, if they were human, Ranboo would’ve been around his age, maybe a little older. They’re wearing some sort of cloth mask over their face (also fancy, what the fuck), which they pull down to reveal an almost sheepish smile.
“I wanted to see you!” they say.
Tommy blinks. “You wanted to see me,” he repeats slowly. “...Why?”
Ranboo raises an eyebrow. “Because we’re soulmates?” he says as if it were obvious.
Which, it kinda was.
Tommy subconsciously tugs on the sleeve covering his soulmark. “Still,” he says. “It’s the middle of the day! Aren’t you vampires, like, allergic to the sun or something?”
Ranboo huffs in amusement. “I thought you were a vampire hunter,” they tease. “Well, you humans tend to exaggerate everything. Yeah, we’re more sensitive to sun burns, it’s why I’m covered up, but other than that the sun doesn’t bother us.”
Tommy frowns at this information. “Then why do you guys only come out at night then?” he asks. What’s stopping the vampires from terrorising the town during the day?
Ranboo shrugs. “Night time’s better for hunting, honestly,” he says. “Plus, most vampires have a nocturnal sleep schedule.”
Oh, they’re nocturnal. That makes so much sense.
Embarrassed, Tommy crosses his arms with a scowl. “I-I knew that!” he declares. “I was just testing you!”
Ranboo gives Tommy a knowing look. “Uh huh, sure.”
Deciding to ignore the vampire, Tommy turns his attention to the basket and his scattered food. He sighs, leaning down to clean up the mess. Nothing’s damaged or broken, thank goodness. “You didn’t have to snatch me like that, by the way,” he grumbles.
Ranboo at least has the decency to look guilty. “Sorry about that,” they say, rubbing the back of their neck. “I didn’t know how else to approach you.”
Tommy places the bread in his basket with a scoff. “How about just not approaching me.”
Ranboo frowns. “But I want to get to know you,” he says almost petulantly. “You haven’t told me your name yet, by the way.”
“Yeah, and I’m keeping it that way,” Tommy grits out, placing the cheese in the basket with more force than necessary. He stands. “Look, Ranboo. You’re a vampire. I am a vampire hunter.”
Ranboo huffs. “Yeah, so?”
Tommy’s patience is wearing thin. “So… we can’t be soulmates.”
Even as he says it, a part of him shrivels up inside.
But Ranboo doesn’t seem to get what he’s trying to say. “Yeah we can,” they argue with a frown. “Listen, it doesn’t matter that we’re so different, the universe put us together for a reason-”
“Well, maybe the universe fucked up, ok?” Tommy snaps, glaring at Ranboo. “Maybe the universe decided to play some sick joke. Maybe the universe was like ‘oh wouldn’t it be so funny to make this guy’s soulmate a monster.’”
A part of Tommy knows that you should never invoke a vampire’s wrath. They’re dangerous. They’re monsters.
Though another part of him knows Ranboo would never hurt him.
Though instead of becoming angry, like Tommy half expected, Ranboo looks hurt by his words. The vampire takes a step back with a sad and pained expression. “I’m not a monster…” they murmur.
Tommy suddenly feels inexplicably guilty.
But the universe did make a mistake. That's the only explanation.
Right?
Tommy doesn’t know why he keeps talking.
“Maybe it was best we were never soulmates to begin with.”
Ranboo sucks in a sharp breath, turning away. Tommy feels a burst of emotions that aren’t his own, pain, sadness, grief and heartbreak exploding in his chest.
His soulm- The vampire reaches up to pull the hood over their head. “If that’s what you truly think…” they murmur, tone subdued. They take a shaky breath. “If you don’t want me in your life, then I’ll leave you alone.”
Before Tommy can reply Ranboo heads deeper into the alleyway, disappearing around a corner.
And Tommy… doesn’t know what to think.
Isn't this what he wanted? For Ranboo to finally leave him alone so Tommy can just go on with his life, pretending he never had a soulmate in the first place?
Then why does he feel so empty?
He doesn’t stop thinking of Ranboo for the rest of the day, his feelings of sadness and guilt lingering well into the night.
Ranboo seems to keep their word, because Tommy doesn’t see them for another week.
He carries out his routine as usual, but there is no sign of the vampire he has grown familiar with.
Perhaps Ranboo has truly left him alone.
And Tommy… is maybe just a bit upset by that.
Right now, Tommy makes his way to the outskirts of town. There had been reports of a powerful vampire lurking in the area, and a team of hunters had gone to investigate. A little while later, Tommy had been ordered to go to the area as backup.
Tommy doesn’t know why. He hasn’t even finished his training.
Finally, he makes it to the site, and the scene is a gruesome one.
Four hunters lie dead on the ground, scattered around the area. The remaining three, including the leader of the team, have thrown a silver net over the vampire and are currently holding them down.
The vampire in question being-
Tommy feels his heart drop. “Ranboo?” he whispers.
Ranboo’s head whips up to look at him, red eyes blown wide. Tommy can feel the other’s pain and fear in the space next to his heart.
The leader seems to notice Tommy’s presence. “Ah, Thomas! You’re here!”
Tommy’s nervous eyes dart between Ranboo and his superior as the hunter approaches. “I-I was called for backup, Sir,” Tommy informs, straightening up.
“Well, we have this one under control, but-” the leader claps Tommy on the back, slinging an arm over the blond’s shoulder. “How would you like to be the one to do the honours?”
Tommy’s eyes widen as his stomach sinks. “What?”
The leader grins down at him. “That’s right! You get to kill the monster! It will mark the end of your training, and you can officially become a Hunter!”
A wooden stake is shoved into his hands, and Tommy is shoved towards the other three hunters, and the vampire they’re holding down.
When Tommy first joined the guild, becoming a monster hunter was his one true goal in life.
But now…
He looks down at Ranboo. Any hope the vampire had vanishes, and as they lower their head against the ground, Tommy can feel their intense sadness. But also acceptance.
Ranboo is ready to die by Tommy’s hand.
And Tommy can’t accept that.
Resolve strengthened, Tommy turns around to face the leader, gaze unwavering. He throws the stake to the side.
“No.”
He can feel Ranboo’s surprise through their bond as the hunters make noises of shock.
The leader frowns. "'No?'"
“I can’t kill them,” Tommy states, standing over his soulmate protectively. “No, I won’t kill them! And I won’t let any of you lay a finger on them!”
The leader looks furious. “It’s a monster!” he yells.
“He’s my soulmate!” Tommy yells back.
The area goes deadly silent, tension spiking.
Love blooms in his chest through the soul bond. Tommy returns it, as well as directing guilt and remorse.
Forgiveness.
“That’s impossible,” one of the hunters murmurs. “You can’t be soulmates with a monster. You must be lying!”
“It’s true,” Tommy says, pulling up his sleeve to show them the golden writing on his arm. “Ranboo would never hurt me.”
“He’s named it?”
“Are you seriously siding with a monster?” the leader says quietly, tone dangerous. “After everything we’ve done for you, taking you in, giving you a place to live, food to eat, after all of that, you throw your lot in with them?”
Tommy suddenly regrets throwing away the stake as the leader stalks closer. But he will not be swayed.
“I won’t let you hurt them.”
The tension skyrockets. The leader peers down at him dangerously.
“You’re a traitor, Thomas,” he spits, gaze piercing.
Tommy glares back.
The leader’s lips curl down in disgust.
“I hate traitors.”
The next thing he knows, Tommy’s breath is knocked out of him as a sword is driven through his gut.
Ranboo screams.
Before he can fully process it, the sword twists, before it is carelessly yanked out. Tommy gasps, the pain hitting him at full force, and he falls to the ground.
Tommy puts a hand over his stomach in a fruitless attempt to stop the bleeding. Feelings that are not his own explode in his chest. Fear, grief, then rage.
There’s a struggle behind him. An inhuman screech, the clinking of the net as it’s thrown aside, the hunters shouting in fear before they are abruptly cut off, followed by three thuds as bodies drop to the ground, all in the span of a few seconds.
He hears the leader shout something before he, too, falls silent.
Tommy stares up at the sky through blurry eyes, coughing up blood as he looks up at the stars.
They look so pretty tonight.
Ranboo appears by his side, clothes covered in blood that isn’t his own. They gently pull back Tommy’s hand to see his wound, and they let out a small gasp at the sight.
“Oh God,” they mutter, a bloody hand covering their mouth in shock. “That looks really bad. Uhm, you’re going to be ok, I promise. You have to be ok.”
Tommy’s vision blurs, and he briefly closes his eyes.
“No no no.” Ranboo gently taps his face. “Stay with me, Thomas, stay awake.”
“Tommy.”
Ranboo pauses. “What?”
“It’s Tommy,” he gasps out. “‘Thomas w’s what the… fucking Guild called me, I hated it. Sorry I-” he coughs, blood dripping down his chin. “Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
“No no, don’t apologise, Tommy,” Ranboo says, and a part of Tommy warms when his soulmate says his name. “You aren’t gonna die, not now.”
Tommy lets out a huff. “I mean, it’s kinda inevitable, innit?” he says with a weak grin.
Ranboo purses his lips, suddenly hesitant. “I… have a solution,” he says. “But you’re not gonna like it.”
Well, he doesn’t seem to have much of a choice. “Hit me with it.”
“I… I can turn you. You can become a vampire.”
Tommy chokes on blood, but he's not surprised. “Just do it,” he says.
But Ranboo, for some reason, hesitates. “Are you absolutely sure?” they ask. “This will be permanent. There’s no going back after this.”
“ Death is permanent,” Tommy grits out. “I’d rather spend an eternity with you than die and leave you alone.”
If Tommy wasn’t bleeding to death right now he’d cringe at how sappy that was.
Ranboo seems touched by his words, before their face morphs into careful determination. “Very well,” they say. “Now just a warning, this will hurt, but I’ll be as quick and careful as possible.”
Ranboo leans down, and Tommy feels a cold breath against his neck before there’s a pinprick. The pain from the bite lasts for all of a second before the venom spreads throughout his body and he grows numb.
Tommy can’t find the strength to keep his eyes open, so with his soulmate carefully cradling him in their arms, he finally succumbs to the darkness.
The boy’s wounds begin to heal, a sure sign that the venom has worked and the turning has begun. Ranboo lets out a breath of relief.
“Sleep now, Toms,” they whisper. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
So Ranboo gently picks up the sleeping boy, holding him bridle style. To any onlookers Tommy would appear dead, as apparent by his pale skin and lack of breathing. But Ranboo knows he will wake up, the soul bond connecting them weak, but still there, gradually growing stronger.
The vampire will take their soulmate to their home, where they’ll take care of him until he wakes. And when that happens, the vampire will welcome him with open arms.
Maybe the universe didn't mess up after all.
Yes, this was meant to be.