Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The night was pitch black. Rain came down in torrents. Not a single star showed through the downpour.

No one would even think to go out in such weather. Well, no one but Phil. He had gotten used to the feeling of being soaked down to the bone.

Besides, he had more pressing matters than a little bit of rain.

He could smell blood. Technically, he could always smell blood, but the smell was much more potent, meaning someone must be injured.

Just as he rounded a corner, another smell hit him. He froze.

Phil was not the only vampire that roamed the streets that night.

The smell of blood was overwhelming. That was very bad.

He turned into an alleyway to be met with an awful sight.

A group of 3 vampires created a circle around what Phil assumed was a human.

They turned to meet his gaze.

Las Nevadas. The vampire coven that had been terrorizing America since the country had been created.

Their leader, Quackity, stepped towards him, a malicious smile on his face.

“Well, look at who we have here. How nice of you to join us, Phil. We were just about to add another member to our coven. Perhaps you would like to watch?” Quackity’s voice was cold and dripped with fake politeness.

The members behind him chuckled. This was bad. Really bad.

“I can’t let you do that, Quackity.” Phil didn’t know what he was doing. Did he have a death wish?

Quackity laughed , loudly with a hint of hysteria.

“And what are you going to do about it!?” He sneered.

Phil contemplated running, vanishing into the night. He barely stepped back when the human met his eyes.

They were full of despair and pain, but he could see something else. Something he couldn’t deny the man.

Hope.

Without thinking, he ran towards the Quackity.

Instead of attacking, he slid underneath him. He quickly jumped up before any of the other members could grab him. He ended up elbowing someone in the face.

He kicked someone else in the back of the leg, making them crumple to the ground. He dodged as Quackity went right for his neck. 

Another one of the members cowered away, stepping behind a large pipe.

Phil finally had his chance. 

He grabbed the human and ran .

Distantly, he heard someone hiss, “ What are you fools doing?! Get him! ”

He couldn’t help but smile.

Phil spent the rest of the night running to get as far away as possible. Once he was sure he lost the coven, he set the human down. 

He was awake.

“Tell me son, what’s your name?” Phil sat down next to the human.

“T-Techno…Blayd…” Techno coughed.

“Interesting name you got there. I’m Phil.” He tried to smile to look less intimidating, but that was difficult when he had two large fangs.

“Are….are you also….one of…. them ..?” Techno looked scared. Mostly in pain, but still scared.

“You could say that….but I’m not like them. I promise.” Phil’s expression softened.

“Okay…then…” Techno still looked like he was suspicious of Phil, but he was too exhausted to care.

He fell back asleep.

After a few hours, Phil noticed Techno’s breath getting progressively shallower. He woke the man up in a panic.

“Techno, this is very important. Do you want to be immortal?”

“I…what..?” Techno was barely coherent.

“You have two choices. You’re immortal, or you die right now.” Phil hated how he sounded so blunt, but there was no time.

Techno’s eyes widened in panic.

“I….I can’t! Techno Blayd never…..dies….”

“So you want to be immortal?” Phil was already getting mentally prepared to turn him.

Techno nodded weakly. It was all Phil needed.

That night, screams ripped through the forest.

It was said to have stopped after two days.

And after that, Phil had a lifelong companion.

___

Phil and Techno had finally found a place to settle down. 

A busy town that never seemed to sleep.

Even in the night, sounds could be heard everywhere.

Some people said the wildlife was braver than usual.

Some people said that vampires plagued the land and crept out at night.

The answer was, well, both.

Phil and Techno were out taking a stroll. There was a nice little shop that sold trinkets and Phil loved going there to see what was new. 

Techno wasn’t one for trinkets. He enjoyed polished armour, and swords so sharp that they cut you without you even realizing.

He still accompanied Phil to the trinket store every time.

This time, however, was different. A young boy in tattered pajamas was trying to buy a small wooden horse.

He slid three small coins onto the counter.

The owner counted them and grumbled.

“You’re five short, kid.”

“But….I…” The kid looked like he was about to cry.

Techno wasn’t sure why he did what he did, but he pulled a large coin out of his bag and slid it towards the man behind the counter.

The man hmphed and took the coins, pushing the horse in the direction of the boy. 

Said boy was looking at Techno with bright eyes, and an even brighter smile.

“Thanks mister!” The boy blew his long brown hair out of his face.

Techno would be lying if he said he didn’t think it was adorable.

“Mhm. It’s fine.”

The boy ran out of the shop, horse in hand. 

Techno felt a familiar hand on his shoulder.

“Wasn’t that boy just the cutest?” Phil sighed from behind Techno.

“Don’t tell me you’re planning on adopting him. Aren’t I enough?” Techno joked.

“Yeah. But something about him. I hope we’ll see him again.” Phil leaned on Techno

They did, in fact, see him again.

The sun was setting. Techno loved that time because the sky looked like it was set ablaze.

They did not expect to see the same boy, playing with his toy on the sidewalk.

Phil went up to him that time.

“Hey mate. Shouldn’t you be heading home? It will be dark soon.”

The boy looked confused for a second before understanding.

“Oh. I don’t have one of those.” He said nonchalantly.

That threw the two vampires off guard. 

“You don’t… have a home?” Techno found himself asking.

“Nope. Not that I remember, at least.” The boy was casual about it.

Long story short, they ended up taking the boy to their house. They learned that his name was Wilbur, and he was dumped on the streets when he was 6 years old.

Wilbur ended up staying with Techno and Phil, who accepted him with open arms.

On his eighteenth birthday, Wilbur asked a question.

“Please be honest with me. Are you guys…..vampires?”

Techno and Phil shared a glance.

“I mean, you guys haven’t aged at all, I’ve never seen you eat or sleep, and you go off on weird trips every week. The evidence is all there.” Wilbur didn’t look…upset.

Phil let out a breath, despite not needing to breathe.

“Okay, please don’t freak out. Yes, we are vampires.” Phil was expecting Wilbur to yell, to scream, to cry, to do something in fear.

He was not expecting what happened next.

Wilbur stood up and pushed his hands on the table.

“Turn me into a vampire.”

Techno nearly fell over.

“Wilbur, let’s think about this. When I was turned, I didn’t really have a choice. It was that or death. But you’re just starting your life. You don’t have to-“

Wilbur slammed his hands down on the table again.

“ I said , turn me into a vampire. Please. I want to be with you guys forever.” Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.

Needless to say, from then on, they were a group of three.

___

They moved again. People kept getting more and more suspicious. 

Techno sighed. Wilbur had left again, probably going off to see the boy he had taken a liking to. They were almost inseparable.

One night, Wilbur came home with a crying boy in his arms.

There was an accident. One that had killed both of the young boy’s, Tommy’s , parents.

He had completely closed up.

Wilbur described him as a ray of sunshine, always warm and moving. Lighting up the area around him.

The boy that Wilbur brought home that night was nothing like that. He was cold, pale and still. Like a statue. 

He would barely eat. You could see his ribs sticking out from his abdomen.

He always wore a coat. That or a blanket. It was like he could never seem to get warm.

He was almost always with Wilbur. Either stuck to his hip or trailing behind him. 

Wilbur was getting worried. He had tried everything to cheer Tommy up, and nothing was working.

Three years after the accident, they began to see something.

A new board game had just come out. Phil bought it in hopes that he could get his whole family to play. And yes, he considered Tommy family.

They set it up and began playing. Things started out like normal. Tommy was right at Wilbur’s side, a blanket wrapped around him. 

As the game progressed, Tommy was doing marginally better than the rest of the group. He had a smile on his face, and that in itself was rare.

He even let out a few raspy chuckles when Wilbur would drop a piece on the floor, or when Techno would fake cry after getting set back.

By the time the game was over, Tommy had won, and the blanket lay discarded on the floor.

After that, he slowly began to get better. He was less scrawny, less pale, less cold, and more Tommy.

By the time he turned sixteen, he was his old self again. Bright, cheery, and radiant.

Sometimes, time is the best medicine.

It was after this that they admitted to Tommy what they were, and he accepted the lifestyle fully.

Of course, Wilbur turned him.

___

When the family of four heard about the Civil War, they immediately decided to stay out of it. In fact, they just decided to up and leave.

It was normal for them to move around, but they had never left America. But, they had a choice to make, and they didn’t want to be caught up in the middle of a war.

Britain was very different, but not in a bad way. They had managed to find a house that was secluded. They would be able to stay there for a while, or at least until the war was over.

But of course, because things can never be peaceful, Tommy found a child. Well, technically, the child was older than Tommy, but only appearance wise. 

Tubbo was a lot more distrusting than any of the other kids had been. He would never let you leave his line of sight.

He was also very sneaky. Techno noticed that almost every time after Tubbo visited, something went missing.

It took an embarrassing amount of time for Techno to realize that Tubbo was poor.

He had dirty clothes and hair, he stole things, and he was distrustful. All huge clues pointing to that.

It was also evident by how he ate food like it was about to run away.

Tommy was getting restless, so they all decided to let Tubbo in on their secret.

His first response:

“No you’re not. Vampires aren’t real.”

“But….but we are! We’re right here!” Tommy was almost frantic.

“Prove it then.” Tubbo crossed his arms.

“But how…?” Tommy furrowed his brows.

“Turn me into one. I bet you can’t do it, because vampires aren’t real.” Tubbo stuck his nose in the air.

“Woah Woah, let’s calm down for a minute. Tubbo, this is an important decision. There’s no going back once you’re a vampire.” Phil spoke calmly, being the voice of reason as always.

“Yeah yeah. Just do it already. That is, if you can. Which you can’t. Because vampires aren’t real.” Tubbo narrowed his eyes.

Let’s just say, he was not happy to find out that he would be an actual vampire.

Tubbo ended up going on a rampage. He accidentally turned someone, which got him grounded for a long time.

He came around to the idea of it eventually. He and Tommy were inseparable anyways, so it didn’t make much of a difference.

That left Techno as the only one who hasn’t turned anybody.

They laid low for a long time after that. Decades passed. In the year 2022, they finally decided to go back to America.

___

Ranboo did not feel like getting up. He had worked the late shift and only got about four hours of sleep.

He slid off his bed and looked at the picture frame on his bedside table.

It was him and Niki. Except, her smile was a lot brighter, and she looked healthy. It was from before she got sick.

It was a nice reminder of why Ranboo even bothers to go to work. Life-saving medicine doesn’t pay for itself.

He stumbled into the kitchen and somehow managed to make coffee without breaking anything. Woohoo. Small victories.

He drank the coffee straight from the pot. With the thought that he should be very awake soon, he grabbed his uniform.

Sure, working at a 7-Eleven wasn’t the best job, but they hire teenagers and it pays well enough. 

Ranboo really wished he didn’t have to talk to people though. Especially people who don’t respect personal space. Those were the worst people, especially when you have panic attacks just from someone bumping into you.

Ranboo suddenly felt a lot more energetic and figured the caffeine was kicking in.

He slipped on a light coat. It was the perfect season, fall. It was the perfect time, too. When the leaves look all pretty but they haven’t fallen off the trees yet.

Ranboo began the ten minute trek to his workplace, or as he likes to call it, hell for people with social anxiety.

When he finally got there, he clocked in and stood at the register. 

An old lady and three very loud girls came in, followed by a man that was not wearing pants.

Why did he have to pick this job?

Chapter Text

It only took about a day to get back to America. Seeing as they didn’t really need to rest or breathe, they just swam there.

They noticed as they got closer to the shore, there were boats out on the water. They looked a lot different. Much more sleek, and they seemed to be powered by an engine instead of the wind.

There were a lot of people on the beach, despite the fact that it was fall.

It took a while to find a secluded area, but they managed.

When everyone got out of the water, they just stared .

There was a line of houses right where the sand met the dirt.

You could tell they were houses, but they looked nothing like the ones that Techno was used to.

They were larger, made out of wood instead of brick, and some were even painted bright colors.

They noticed a few people walking around.

The clothes were very different as well.

Much less….modest.

One thing in particular that Techno noticed was the brightly colored hair that some humans had. He didn’t know you could change your hair color.

While he wasn’t paying attention, a human girl approached them.

“Oh my god. Are you guys like, cosplayers?”

Techno did not know what a cosplayer was.

Being the leader of the group Phil must have an idea, surely.

Techno looked at Phil and raised his eyebrows. 

Phil only shrugged. Well that was no help.

“Um, what?” Tommy looked thoroughly confused.

“You know, like, a cosplayer! With the old clothes and stuff!” She seemed very enthusiastic.

“Um. Yes. We are.” Techno wasn’t sure what else to say.

“That’s so cool! Can I get a picture?” The girl was holding up a small rectangle.

“Yeah, sure.” Phil smiled, but Techno could see that it was strained.

The girl held out the rectangle.

“Everyone smile!” 

Everyone gave her a strained smile, as to not show their fangs.

The rectangle flashed a few times.

“Oh my god, these look great! Thanks a bunch!” The girl skipped away.

“Well that was weird.” Techno muttered.

“What’s a cosplayer?” Tubbo questioned.

“I have no clue, mate.” Phil sighed.

“Well, we better get going. People will get suspicious if we just stand here all day.” Wilbur chimed in.

Phil nodded, and everyone began the trek to the north.

After a few hours, the group ended up in a small town Northwestern to where they were before.

This place had some older buildings, more similar to what they all were used to.

One building, however, stuck out.

It was similar to the more modern buildings that they had seen before.

The sign on the front read “7-Eleven”

Something about it made Techno involuntarily shuffle closer.

Something that made Techno want to be near there.

He got the attention of the group and pointed to the building.

“I think we should go in there. See what it has, Y’know?” Techno tried to make it seem like he just wanted to explore.

“I’m not too sure why, but I agree with you.” Phil put a hand on Techno’s shoulder.

“Yeah! It looks…what did that one lady say? Cool?” Tommy nearly shouted in his usual boisterous nature..

Wilbur shrugged, and Tubbo was already halfway there.

When they got to the building, the doors opened on their own, which freaked them all out. Technology these days…

As they walked in the store, Techno noticed an older man at the counter. The man paid no attention to them as they shuffled through what was most likely a store.

Everyone stayed together, too wary to split up.

Techno looked at everything on the shelves. Most things were in neon colored packages that hurt his eyes. Man, why did everything have to be so bright?

He split off from the group to look around a bit more.

The area he was currently in had lots of small containers of hair products.

One thing in particular caught his eye.

There was a small box that had a picture of a woman on it. The woman had light pink hair. 

After reading the box, Techno figured out that it was hair dye. So that’s how people changed their hair color.

For some reason, he really liked the look of the pink hair. 

The tag right below it said that it cost 9.74$.

Techno checked his pockets and found that he had enough coins to buy it. He grabbed the box and went on his way.

He heard a door open and someone speaking softly at the front of the store.

He moved closer to the voices. When he peeked over a shelf, the older man was no longer at the counter.

Instead, a very tall teen with split colored hair was pressing buttons on a modern-looking cash register.

Techno began to feel very weird, and warm. He had the strange urge to be as close as possible to the lanky teen.

He instead went to look for Phil, because he always knows what to do.

After finding the man staring at a bag of what was probably candy, Techno tapped him on the shoulder.

Phil looked at him and smiled.

“Did you find something you want?” 

“Yes, but that’s not why I got your attention. Look.” Techno inconspicuously pointed to the boy behind the counter.

Phil stared for a second.

“Oh. Oh I see.”

“You feel it too?” Techno felt a little less silly.

“I do. Let me see what the boys think.” Phil went off searching for his other sons.

Just as Phil walked away, Techno noticed Tubbo, Tommy, and Wilbur all heading towards the teen.

Techno didn’t believe in any gods, but if he did, he would be praying.

___

Ranboo just got finished with his break, all of which he had spent sleeping.

He switched places with a nice man named Edward.

Right after he did, he could feel eyes on him.

He looked around and noticed a man holding pink hair dye was the one staring at him. He had long light brown hair that went down to his waist in a pristine braid.

He turned away quickly and made his way through the aisles.

Okay, that was weird, but not as weird as some things that have happened at that particular 7-Eleven. Ranboo suppressed a shudder. 

He took a minute to organize the gum and candy at the counter until he saw someone heading towards him. Well, multiple someones.

There were two tall boys and a short boy. The tallest one had brown hair. The second tallest had bright blond hair. The shortest one had curly brown hair that partially covered his face.

The shortest one propped himself on the counter and smiled devilishly.

“Hey hot stuff. You come here often?”

Ranboo nearly choked on his own saliva. He responded after taking a moment to compose himself.

“I mean, I work here, so….yeah I guess I do.”

The tallest one pushed him out of the way.

“Sorry about Tubbo. His first instinct is to flirt with the new people he meets. I’m Wilbur, what’s your name?”

Wilbur held out his hand. Ranboo was not a fan of handshakes, so he didn’t do anything.

“I’m Ranboo. It says right here.” He pointed to the name tag on his uniform.

Wilbur’s smile faltered for a moment when he didn’t accept the handshake, but it quickly returned.

“And so it does!”

The blonde pushed his way to the front.

“Ello Ranboob. The names Tomathy Danger Safety Kraken Innit. But you, can call me Tommy.”

He smiled, and Ranboo noticed his canines were longer than normal. Meh, the human body is weird.

“It’s Ranboo , but whatever. Is there anything I can help you with?”

Tubbo spoke up again.

“Nope, just wanted to say hi!”

A gruff voice spoke from behind them.

“If you guys will move, I actually want to buy something.”

The three shuffled over to reveal the guy that was staring at Ranboo earlier.

Ranboo avoided eye contact as the man set down his hair dye.

Ranboo rang it up.

“That’ll be 10.00 even.”

The man dug in his pockets before setting down one large coin and five smaller ones.

The coins looked old, and were slightly rusted.

He looked up at the man.

“Um, I don’t think we accept this type of currency.” He quietly spoke.

“Oh.” The man’s eyes were downcast.

If there was one thing Ranboo hated, it was upsetting people. And for some reason, he felt extra bad this time.

“A-actually, you know what? Go ahead and take it. It’s fine.”

The man perked up again. He grabbed his hair dye and looked like he was about to walk away, when he stopped and looked Ranboo in the eyes.

“Thank you. The name’s Techno, by the way. The old man behind me is Phil.”

Ranboo just noticed the short blonde man. He swatted at Techno and waved to Ranboo.

They began to walk out the door, the trio from before reluctantly following.

They all waved goodbye.

Well. That was super weird. It wasn’t…bad…though. A small part of Ranboo hoped to see them again.

Chapter Text

The group said nothing as they made their way out of the store.

Techno wasn’t sure how to feel.

His brain was screaming at the thought of leaving Ranboo alone in there, but he ignored it and instead focused on the forest that was ahead.

Phil had felt the same kind of pull towards the kid, and judging by how the others were basically piled at the counter, he had no doubt they felt the same way.

The question was, why? Why did they have such an attachment to a teen they had barely talked to?

Techno fumbled with the box in his hand. He had no clue how to use hair dye. Ranboo had his hair dyed, so at least he had an excuse to go and see the kid again.

But why did he want to?

He was interrupted from his spiral of thoughts by a firm hand on his shoulder. 

“We’re gonna stay here until we can find a nice house to buy.”

Techno raised his eyebrows at Phil.

“Didn’t we leave most of our money in Britain?”

Phil shrugged.

“We can always send Wilbur back to get it.”

Tommy and Tubbo snickered while Wilbur made a noise of indignation.

Everyone sat in silence for a moment until Tommy broke it.

“Is it just me, or is that Ranboo kid….different…?”

Wilbur sighed.

“I was waiting for someone to speak up. I was starting to think it was just me.”

“Yeah! I really like him!” Tubbo exclaimed.

“Huh. So you all felt the…pull..?” Phil thought aloud.

“Yeah! That! I didn’t know how to describe it.” Tommy stood up.

Techno stayed silent. He had never felt such a strong desire to be near someone. Even Wilbur and Tommy, who he cared about a lot , hadn’t made him feel that way when they were still human.

He tuned back into the conversation.

“Y’know, this is actually really similar to how I felt when I met Tommy. Not as strong, but it’s definitely the same feeling.” Wilbur explained.

“Yeah! This is how I felt about Tubbo too!” Tommy pat said boy on the head. In return, Tubbo tried to bite him.

“Well I haven’t felt this way, like, ever. But that’s besides the point. What are we going to do about it?” Tubbo wondered.

“Well, I don’t know, do you guys want another brother?” Phil questioned.

“Hell yeah!” Tubbo and Tommy yelled in unison.

“I mean, it would be nice. I would go crazy if I was stuck with just you guys for another few centuries.” Wilbur smiled.

Phil’s eyes darted towards Techno.

“Techno? How do you feel about this?”

“I would like it. A lot.”

Techno wasn’t the best at conveying emotions, but he knew exactly what he wanted. And that was a new family member.

The group sat down in a clearing in the forest. It wasn’t long until Tommy started complaining.

“I’m bored ! There’s no books or games out here!” 

“Well, unless you know where a 24/7 bookstore is, we can’t really do anything about it.” Wilbur replied bluntly.

“What if we play ‘Never Have I Ever’?” Tubbo suggested.

“No! You guys always target me!” Tommy shouted.

“Well maybe don’t do stupid things, and you won’t get targeted.” Techno supplied.

“Shut up!” Tommy huffed. 

“I mean, we could go see if Ranboo’s still at that store…” Phil mused.

“Okay Dadza, we get it. You want to adopt him.” Wilbur snickered.

“Shut!” Phil swatted at Wilbur.

Techno wouldn’t admit it, but he wanted to go see Ranboo as well. His brain wasn’t being very helpful, supplying him with awful things that could happen to the kid while they were apart. 

His mind sounded like a chorus of voices, all panicked and freaking out over some random teen.

“-echno? Hello? Are you listening?” Phil waved a hand in front of his face.

“What?” He had completely zoned out.

“We were just saying that we were going to see Ranboo tomorrow. We’re also going to see if we can get some new clothes. We don’t exactly blend in with our current ones.”

Techno ignored how his little brain voices got excited at the prospect of seeing Ranboo again.

“Aw man. I like my clothes.” He flopped onto his back.

“I know you do, but we have to blend in. You know what will happen if they figure us out.”

“They won’t figure us out, Phil. You worry too much.” Techno rolled over to face Phil.

Phil threw his hands in the air

“Fine! Do what you want! Just don’t come crying to me when you get a pitchfork to the face!”

Ignoring Phil, Techno turned to look up at the stars. The moon was moving down, which meant that it would be morning soon. 

He looked around to see Wilbur and Tommy playing tic-tac-toe in the dirt, and Tubbo climbing a tree. He smiled. Ranboo would be a very welcome addition.

He noticed a slight burn in the back of his throat. He was thirsty. 

He got up and began sniffing around. There had to be some animals in this forest.

He suddenly got a good whiff, and he started the prowl to his target.

___

Ranboo groaned and debated pressing the snooze button on his phone. He suddenly remembered that he would be getting paid, and he turned off his alarm.

Getting up was always easier on pay day.

He really needed to restock his fridge. Besides that, he only needed to pay for rent, water, and electricity. He had a TV, but he didn’t want to pay for Netflix or anything, so he only really watched DVDs of old movies. 

A very nice couple in an apartment below him let him use their wifi, so he mostly watched stuff on his phone.

He bought coffee grounds in bulk so that they’d be cheaper. 

Speaking of coffee, his cup was done. He actually had the energy to put milk and sugar in it this time.

On his walk to work, his mind wandered to the interaction he’d had the other day. There was something about that group that made him feel….weird.

They had looked at him like he was something precious, something worth their time.

He already knew he was not. He had been told, many many times, that he was a waste, useless, and good for nothing.

He shook his head. He didn’t want to think about them . They’re the reason he doesn’t have the courage to make friends.

He walked inside the 7-Eleven and clipped on his name tag.

Things went by normally, or at least as normal as they could be.

That was, until he saw a familiar face. Or should he say, five familiar faces.

As everyone walked through the door, their faces split into a large grin. Well, everyone except Techno. He instead sported a small smile.

“Ranboo! It’s good to see you!” Tubbo shouted, a little too loud for his liking.

“Um, it’s good to see you too, Tubbo.” Ranboo sounded awkward and unsure, but Tubbo looked happy nonetheless.

“You remembered!” He sounded…excited? I mean, it would be kinda weird for him to forget something after a day, but okay.

“Do you remember the rest of us?” Wilbur stood right behind Tubbo.

“Um, I think so? You’re Wilbur, that’s Tommy, that’s Phil, and the guy behind him is Techno. Is that right?” Ranboo didn’t know why he was playing along.

 Maybe it was the way everyone’s face lit up as he got them all correct.

“Yep, you got them all right!” Tommy stepped up next to Wilbur.

Ranboo felt a slight sense of pride, which was weird because he didn’t even do anything very impressive.

“Anyways, we’re not here to play memory games. Techno actually has something to ask you.” Phil explained.

Techno was a little scary, but he looked a lot less intimidating when he was staring at a box of hair dye as if he had never seen it before.

“I’m gonna be honest, I have no idea how to use hair dye. I noticed that you had your hair dyed and was wondering if you could help.” 

They were asking him of all people for help? He didn’t have a lot of skills, and even his hair dye job wasn’t the best.

“Well, there should be instructions in the box. I just recommend you wear gloves and rinse your hair out after you dye it.” Ranboo gave them the most basic answer he could.

“Yeah, about that, we can’t really do that. We’re kinda homeless at the moment.” Techno seemed unbothered by the fact.

Ranboo understood. He had been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

He decided to tell them about what he did.

“Well, I have a pair of gloves in the back that I could give you. The local gym has showers that you can use to rinse off your hair. Just, don’t stain the showers, or else you’ll get banned.”

He quickly shut up when he realized he had been rambling. The group didn’t seem to mind though.

“Well, if you would get us some gloves we would be very thankful.” Phil smiled softly at him.

“I think I will. I’ll be right back.”

Ranboo rushed to the break room, where they kept the gloves.

It was so strange . No one had ever looked at Ranboo like that. No one except for Niki.

They seemed genuinely happy to see him. That was a concept that was almost completely unheard of for Ranboo.

He opened a cabinet and grabbed two plastic gloves. 

They even smiled at him. He hardly got any smiles, and when he did, they were from old ladies who thought he was such a hardworking young man.

He made his way back to the front and held out the gloves to Techno.

When Techno grabbed them, their hands touched momentarily. For most people, it could have been easily ignored.

For Ranboo, it felt like he had just gotten electrocuted.

He flinched slightly and pulled his hand back. He really hoped they didn’t notice.

“Well, thanks for all the help, mate! We’ll have to come back and show you how it looks after.” Phil spoke cheerfully.

“I’d like to see it.” Ranboo smiled back at them.

He noticed how they seemed to beam at him afterwards.

As they left, a chorus of “Bye”s followed.

The interaction left Ranboo feeling warm for the rest of the day.

Chapter Text

By the time everyone got back to their little clearing in the forest, they were practically vibrating.

“He’s so tall and awkward! It’s adorable!” Phil sighed.

“I thought I was the tall and awkward one…” Wilbur fake sniffled.

“No, Wil. You’re tall and charming. Tommy’s tall and loud, and Techno is tall and scary. Tubbo is short.”

Tubbo let out a squawk of indignation before crossing his arms.

“At least I’m not the one who made him freak out.” Tubbo mumbled, still audible.

“Oh yeah! What was that about?” Tommy looked at Techno.

Techno shrugged.

 “I don’t know. I just barely touched his hand.”

“Maybe he’s like, a germaphobe.” Wilbur mused.

“Yeah, maybe.” Tubbo coughed, “How long has it been since we last hunted? I swear, my throat’s on fire.”

“Well, now that you mention it. We have some free time, so why don’t we scope out the local wildlife? I’m sure there’s some invasive species they wouldn’t mind us taking out.”

Phil stood up and began to walk into the forest, only to stop when he realized that Techno wasn’t following. He raised an eyebrow at him.

“I already ate last night. When you guys were too busy playing tic-tac-toe. Besides, I need to get this hair dye figured out.” Techno held up the box.

Phil shrugged.

“If you insist. We’ll be back before dark.”

And with that, they vanished into the flora.

Techno sat and huffed at the box of hair dye. He had gloves, but he didn’t know where the gym was. He barely knew what a gym was. Apparently it’s somewhere you go to exercise, and apparently they have showers.

He grabbed the gloves that Ranboo gave him and just decided to look around town for one.

After about an hour of looking, he stumbled across a place called “Planet Fitness”. It sounded like the name of a gym.

He stepped through the self-opening doors to see the front desk.

He awkwardly walked up to the person.

“Hello! Do you have a membership card?” The lady at the front cheerfully spoke.

“Um, no I don’t.” Techno half-muttered.

“Well, are you new here? If you are, you have a twenty-four hour free trial. All you have to do is sign here.” The lady pushed a piece of paper and a pen towards Techno.

“Thank you.” He quietly replied.

He signed his name in cursive, not knowing if he should use normal letters.

He slipped it to the lady and she stored it somewhere.

“Well, enjoy your twenty-four hours of exercise!”

Techno nodded and went to look for the showers.

The building was very big, which made it pretty difficult to find. But, eventually he walked into the right room. 

Fortunately, he was the only one in there at the time.

He stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain so that he was hidden. 

Techno opened the box and stared at the contents.

There was the dye itself, a brush, some thin sheets of metal, and what looked to be instructions.

He read over them and figured out that he had to wrap his hair in the metal sheets after he put the dye on. 

He didn’t want to get his white shirt dirty, so he took it off.

After doing a few clumps of hair, Techno got the hang of it. He even did his roots, which apparently he wasn’t supposed to do because of chemical burns or something.

It took a while. His hair had been grown out when he got turned, and it stopped growing afterwards. He liked it long, so he didn’t cut it. 

After dyeing all his hair, he let it sit for an hour. A few people had come in, but they didn’t bother him.

He rinsed his hair out, and saw a lot of the dye coming out. He was slightly worried that his vampire hair didn’t hold in the color.

To his dismay, Techno did end up staining the shower. Oh well, it’s not like he needed to exercise.

Someone had left a towel on a bench, so Techno snatched it, hoping that the person had already forgotten about it.

After drying off his hair, he noticed that the once-white towel had almost been turned completely pink.

He threw all the dye stuff away and looked in the mirror.

Whatever worries he had completely melted away.

His hair was a bright yet soft pink color, and he loved it.

He decided that he was going to keep it that way. He couldn’t wait to show Ranboo.

He quickly walked out of the gym, feeling the receptionist’s eyes on him. 

When he got away from the public, he started running. The sun was about to set, and he needed to be back at his clearing before dark.

___

Ranboo got off work early that day. He always left early on Wednesdays so he could visit Niki in the hospital.

He shoved his phone in his pocket and prepared himself for the twenty minute walk.

He thought back to the group of five that he kept seeing. 

He hoped to see them again. They were nice, and they smiled at him a lot.

A voice hissed in the back of his mind, “It’s all fake. They’re just trying to lead you in so they can hurt you.”

Ranboo really didn’t want to believe that, but it’s all that’s ever happened to him.

All he can remember is honey-dipped voices leading to stinging cheeks and bruised arms.

His hand ghosted over a certain spot on his forearm. An X shaped scar that will never heal.

“It’s a reminder of our love for you.” A silken voice whispered, the knife cutting deeper. Tears stained his cheeks, and blood ran down his arm, pooling under his hand. “Just so you know that you belong to us.”

He shook off those thoughts. They were gone. They couldn’t hurt him anymore. He couldn’t help but shiver.

He finished his walk to the hospital, and the receptionist’s eyes lit up in recognition as he stepped in.

“Hello, Ranboo. I assume you’re here to see Niki?”

“Yes. I am.” Ranboo still felt nervous despite doing it every week.

“Go ahead. I’ll sign you in.” Megan, the receptionist, was definitely Ranboo’s favorite. Always so friendly.

He mumbled a ‘thank you’ and made his way to Niki’s room. He had memorized the way after the fifth visit.

Second floor, take a left, fifth door to the right.

He quietly knocked on the door, and he heard a weak ‘come in’.

He tried to smile as he stepped in, but Niki’s condition made it difficult to.

She looked pale and boney. The blue in her eyes looked washed out, and her pink hair had almost completely faded back to blonde. The hospital clearly didn’t have the shampoo that kept the color in.

“Hey Niki. It’s good to see you.” Ranboo spoke softly. Niki’s hearing had grown sensitive after being in such a quiet place for so long.

“It’s good to see you too. You’re the highlight of my week, you know.” Niki smiled, but it looked strained.

“How have you been feeling?” Ranboo noticed how her eye bags were bigger than usual.

She sighed.

“I’ve been more tired than usual. I want to get up and walk, but no one will let me. I swear, I’m gonna start getting bed sores.” She let out a raspy laugh that turned into a cough.

Ranboo frowned.

“I wish I could visit more, but work’s been kicking my ass.” He chuckled slightly, “Not only that, but there’s been these weird people who keep talking to me. They’re nice though, so I don’t really mind them.”

Niki smiled.

“That’s good. You need to make some friends. I would hate for you to be lonely.” She laughed again, and this time she didn’t cough.

“I know. Actually, you know what I noticed? Those people look at me the same way you look at me.” Ranboo mused.

Niki smiled, but it didn’t look particularly happy.

“They must really care about you, then.”

Ranboo laughed at that.

“Please, I hardly know them. I doubt that they could feel that way towards a total stranger.”

Niki’s expression turned stern.

“I wasn’t joking. You never know how people might feel about you.”

“Well, I guess you have a point then…” Ranboo muttered.

They were silent for a moment until Niki checked the time.

“You should go eat dinner. Eat something good for me, okay? I really miss your spaghetti. The hospital serves it occasionally, but it’s nowhere near as good.”

“I promise, as soon as you get discharged, I’ll make it for you.” Ranboo has never broken a promise, and he never planned to.

“I’ll look forward to it then. Goodbye, Ranboo.”

“Bye Niki.” Ranboo waved as he shut the door.

He breathed out a sigh. It was hard to pretend that everything was okay when he had to see Niki like that.

He signed out of the hospital and started walking back to his apartment. He really needed to get a bike or something.

He let his mind wander, and it brought up the subject of Techno’s hair. He would never have thought Techno would be the kind of guy to dye his hair bubblegum pink . 

Nonetheless, he was excited to see the finished product.

Like all the other times he thought about Techno, he had a warm feeling in his chest. It was weird and unfamiliar. Maybe he was dying. Wow, that was a morbid thought.

Only a few blocks away from his apartment, he noticed a patch of flowers. If his memory served him correctly, they looked to be marigolds. Without a thought, he plucked one and stuck it in his hair. He knew it would die eventually, but until then, it would be welcome to stay in his hair.

Chapter Text

Techno thought that everyone else would like his hair just as much as he did.

He was very, very wrong.

Wilbur slapped a hand over his mouth, Tommy and Tubbo burst out laughing, and Phil seemed to be trying his best to not laugh.

“What?” Techno was confused and slightly frustrated.

“You- you look fuckin’ stupid!” Tommy somehow managed to say in the middle of his laughing.

“I’m gonna have to agree with him. Your scariness factor went down by like, thirty percent.” Wilbur snorted.

Tubbo was clutching his stomach.

Phil let out a small chuckle.

“It’s a lot different from what you used to look like. I’ll admit, it does look a bit silly.” 

Techno grunted at them.

“Just to spite you all, I’m keeping it this way forever. I also like it a lot, I’ll have you know.”

Wilbur groaned and Tubbo only laughed harder.

“Okay, but we need to get Ranboo’s opinion on this. He clearly has better taste than you all.” Techno stuck his nose in the air.

“Yeah yeah. But we have to wait until morning. I don’t get why humans don’t just do stuff at night too. It would make everything happen way quicker.” Tommy complained.

“That’s because humans need to sleep, Tommy. We get all our energy from blood, but they only get part of their energy from food, therefore needing to sleep to get the rest of their energy.” Phil explained, like the wise man he is.

“Besides, I think the wait is worth it.” Tubbo chimed in.

Techno silently agreed. He couldn’t let his family know he was going soft for some random human. They would tease him for centuries.

His weird brain voices were already chanting, technosoft. technosoft. technosoft

“Even if it is worth it, that doesn’t change the fact that I’m bored .” Tommy groaned.

“You are an absolute child. We need to keep you on a leash.” Wilbur teased.

Tommy launched himself at the man.

Their fighting went on for a moment, until Phil sighed.

“If you boys are going to roughhouse, go deeper in the forest.” He said sternly.

Tommy and Wilbur eyed each other, slowly moving deeper into the forest.

Techno climbed up a tree and stayed there, just because he could.

When the sun was nearly in the middle of the sky, both boys emerged from the flora.

Their clothes were dirty and slightly torn. Techno could even see a few bite marks on Wilbur. Oh well, he knew Tommy was feral when he decided to fight him.

He was sure that the death glare Phil gave them would be enough to send them back into the forest.

They got a very stern talking to, from what Techno could hear up in his tree. He slid down the trunk to get a better listen.

“-and if this ever happens again, I swear to Prime you better hope you-“

“Woah there, Phil. Don’t be so hard on them. We can just get them new clothes when we visit Ranboo. Besides, I think we all need an updated wardrobe.”

Wilbur and Tommy just gaped at him. Phil looked like he was ready to defenestrate someone.

He tilted his head slightly. 

“What?”

“You….actually defended us? Wow, Techno. The pink hair has changed you.” Tommy sounded solemn.

“It has not!” Techno sputtered.

Phil sighed.

“Alright, that's enough. Someone grab Tubbo so we can go and see the only sensible one.”

Both Techno and Tubbo gasped in offense.

Everyone’s mood seemed to lighten up the closer they got to the 7-Eleven.

As the door opened by itself, (again, kinda weird), Ranboo’s gaze shifted from confused as he spotted Tommy and Wilbur, to finally landing on Techno.

His eyes lit up (no that did not tug on Techno’s nonexistent heartstrings).

“Huh, you really did dye it. It looks good. Is this your first time?” Ranboo seemed genuinely interested.

(Techno did not get a warm feeling in his chest)

“Uh, thank you. This was my first time ever dying my hair.” He instinctively began running his fingers through his hair.

“Well, I think the pink kinda suits you.” Ranboo sounded slightly nervous, like he was unsure of his statement.

“ Thank you. At least someone thinks I look good with it.” Techno announced.

Wilbur and Tommy shared a dubious glance.

“Well, besides showing you Techno’s hair, we were planning to get some new clothes. Mostly because these two can’t go a minute without fighting.” Phil glared at the two boys next to him.

“The rest of us need clothes, too. As you can see, we kinda stand out.” Tubbo looked down at himself.

Ranboo also stared, seeming to have just noticed their strange fashion choices.

“I kinda thought it was just a stylistic choice, y’know?” He muttered, “Anywho, you probably won’t be able to find much here. It would be a lot better to go to an actual clothing store.” 

“Yeah, but we like it here.” Wilbur grinned.

“You’re here.” Tommy added.

Techno wanted to slap them for how obvious they were being.

“Oh. Um. Well in that case, there’s shirts and shorts in the back…” Ranboo looked down and pretended to be busy doing…something.

Techno grabbed Wilbur and Tommy by the collar and dragged them to the back of the store.

“You’re going to make him uncomfortable.” He warned.

“Ughhhh. Why can’t we just tell him about us and get it over with?! I’m tired of having to act all….humany.” Tommy groaned, not loud enough for Ranboo to hear.

Techno narrowed his eyes at Tommy.

“We didn’t tell you for six years, and you expect us to tell him after three days?” He drawled.

“Well that was because of my little depressive episode!” Tommy folded his arms together.

“You mean the ‘episode’ that lasted three years?” Techno raised an eyebrow.

“You know what I mean! Either we go tell him, or I’ll show him, and you won’t like what that entails.” Tommy opened his mouth slightly, one of his fangs glinting in the light.

“Don’t you dare.” Techno hissed.

“Now, let’s not fight over this. Both of you need to cool it.” Wilbur got in between the two.

“I agree with Wilbur, for once. We shouldn’t rush into anything this quickly.” Phil walked up to the trio. 

Tubbo stood by the counter, most likely using the pick-up lines he learned after reading a book.

Techno smiled smugly.

“But, I also agree with Tommy. I am getting a bit restless. It’ll be hard to get closer to Ranboo when he just sees us as strangers.” Phil pointed out.

This time, Tommy smiled smugly.

“We should put it to a vote.” Wilbur suggested.

“Good idea, Wilbur. All in favor of telling Ranboo about us, raise your right hand.” Phil spoke slightly louder so that Tubbo could hear them.

Wilbur and Tommy raised their hands. Phil and Techno did not.

Everyone looked at Tubbo.

He stared at his hands for a second, before raising the right one.

Techno groaned and put his head in his hands.

Tommy and Wilbur looked excited.

“Well then, it’s settled. We’ll tell him.” Phil announced.

___

Ranboo was slightly confused. Out of nowhere, Wilbur, Tommy, and Tubbo all raised their hands. Then Techno groaned and face-palmed. Was that some kind of inside joke?

Wilbur and Tommy came up to the counter, eyes shining. Techno and Phil came up behind them, looking…worried?

“Oh Ranboooo, we have something to tell yooouuu.” Tommy said in a sing-song voice.

“It’s kind of important.” Phil added on.

“Oh um, I’m listening.” Ranboo was nervous. Did he do something wrong?

Phil’s eyes darted around, as if looking for something. He then went and switched off the ‘Open’ sign. Ranboo didn’t question it.

“Okay, what I’m about to say is going to sound like I’m lying, but I promise you, I am being one hundred percent truthful.” Phil said carefully.

Everyone seemed content to let Phil do the talking.

Ranboo nodded. What could Phil possibly say that he hasn’t heard before?

“We are vampires.” 

Ranboo snorted.

“Heh, that's funny.”

Phil looked confused.

“What’s funny?”

“Your joke.” Ranboo explained.

Phil’s face turned serious.

“I wasn’t joking. Look.”

He pulled up his top lip slightly to show a tooth that was larger and sharper than normal.

The rest of the group did the same.

Then it hit Ranboo.

He started to connect the pieces.

The clothes, the old coins, the lack of hair dye knowledge, the fangs .

He was talking to vampires.

Vampires that drink human blood and are practically invincible.

Vampires that could easily kill him within seconds.

Before he knew it, his vision went black.

___

Ranboo began to hear before he could see. It sounded like multiple voices.

“ -swear if you killed him, I’m holding it against you for all of eternity.”

“I didn’t know he would just collapse!”

The voices got less muffled. He could hear one much louder than the others. It was deep and gruff.

“Hey. Hey Ranboo. Kid, are you okay?”

Suddenly, something, or someone, touched his shoulder. He jerked away roughly and kicked out with his legs.

He came into contact with something sturdy. Something that didn’t move. Something like a vampire.

His vision cleared enough to see pink hair. It was Techno. Techno, who was a vampire.

He backed away as far as he could until he was against the counter.

He was eventually able to see Techno’s expression. He looked strangely…hurt…

His mouth was slightly agape. He could see the light reflecting off of one of his fangs.

Ranboo curled into a ball.

“Oh god, please don’t kill me, please. I’ll do whatever you want just please don’t kill me.” 

He couldn’t die. He was only 16. He had to pay for Niki’s medicine. He had to get her out of that god awful hospital. He had to make her spaghetti at least one more time.

“ Kill you?! We would never!” Techno sounded surprised and slightly offended.

Ranboo said nothing. He only realized he was crying when he felt the tears drip off his face.

Concerned voices filled the air.

“Is he awake?”

“Did he hurt himself?”

“Did he hit his head?”

He ignored them all, somehow curling up tighter.

He was going to die at the age of 16. He never even learned how to drive.

He can’t die. If he dies, no one will pay for Niki’s medicine. She’ll get worse and worse until she dies alone in that hospital-

“Kid, I think you’re hyperventilating. Breathe normally, please.” Ranboo could barely hear Techno over his own heart beat.

“Just please, don’t kill me…” He whispered.

“I already told you. We’re not going to kill you, I promise. Wouldn’t even dream of it.” Techno sounded reassuring.

But Ranboo knew not to trust words.

“We love you”

“We only want what’s best for you.”

“We’re doing this because we care about you.”

No. These people…these people aren’t them.

He…he can…. maybe …trust these people. Or, well, vampires.

He peeked out from his arms.

The group of five was sitting a good distance away. They looked worried, bordering on upset.

They seemed to look less sad when he looked at them.

“We’re sorry about that. That was a lot of information to drop at once.” Phil’s voice sounded soothing, and it encouraged Ranboo to uncurl just a bit.

“It was all my fault.” Tommy muttered, looking the most upset out of everyone.

“No it’s not. I voted to tell him as well.” Tubbo spoke with a slight fierceness.

“I voted too. No one is entirely to blame.” Wilbur murmured.

Huh. So that was what the hand-raising was about.

Ranboo sniffled and wiped his face using his apron.

Somehow, the vampires’ faces seemed to soften even more.

“We truly are sorry. We didn’t know it would cause a reaction like this…” Techno sounded solemn.

“I would say it’s okay, but it’s really not.” Ranboo laughed, but it sounded sad.

“We’ll leave if you want us to.” Tubbo looked like he was about to cry. If vampires could cry.

“I….I don’t know…” Ranboo mumbled. 

Suddenly, a hand reached towards his face. In an attempt to back up more, Ranboo only hit his head on the counter. He rubbed it and winced.

Wilbur dropped a napkin next to him and whispered “Sorry.”

He grabbed the napkin and wiped some of the tears off his face.

The vampires looked at him as if he just shattered into a million pieces.

“I….I’m gonna need some time to process this…” Ranboo put his chin on his knees.

“That’s…understandable…” Tommy didn’t look at Ranboo.

Phil whispered something inaudible to the rest of the group and stood up. As he went to the door, Tommy, Wilbur, and Tubbo followed him. Techno stayed, crouched down staring at him.

He held out his pinky finger.

“I promise that I will never intentionally hurt you.” He said with complete seriousness.

“A pinky promise?” Ranboo said, mostly in disbelief.

“Yes. It’s the most effective way to make a promise.” Techno was not joking in the slightest.

Ranboo didn’t understand why, but ever so slowly, he extended his hand towards the man in front of him.

When their hands were close enough together, they hooked their pinkies together, and touched thumbs to lock it.

Ranboo pulled back quickly. Touch was still very much not a-okay. Especially from someone who could take his life in an instant.

“So, are we allowed to come back here?” Techno sounded….nervous, which was weird because Ranboo should be the one who’s nervous. He’s the one who unknowingly made friends with a bunch of vampires.

“I mean, I can’t really stop you.” Ranboo laughed humorlessly.

“But I want to know if you’re okay with it.” Techno emphasized the word ‘you’re’.

Ranboo thought for a second.

These were vampires , creatures who were literally known for killing humans and drinking their blood.

But Techno made a promise, and if he was anything like Ranboo, he would keep it.

He could not believe he was trusting these people.

“I mean, I guess. Things will definitely be weird though.” Ranboo spoke hesitantly. 

“I know. Thank you for trusting us.” Techno smiled sadly at him. “I’ll leave you alone now.”

When Ranboo heard the front door’s bell ring, he completely laid down on the floor.

And he thought he was unlucky when Niki got sick…

He stood up, a headache forming in the back of his head.

He grabbed his time card and clocked out. 

He was pretty sure taking the rest of the day off was justified. He really needed to think about some things.

Watching all five twilight movies in one day did not prepare him for this.

Chapter Text

Techno felt as if there was a weight in his chest, one that would never let up.

As he went through the doors of the 7-Eleven, he took in the sight.

Phil was pacing anxiously. Tubbo picked at his nails, a bad habit he only ever did when he was nervous.

Wilbur crossed his arms and kept his head down. Tommy was holding onto him.

For a split second, Techno saw a glimpse of the boy who had tragically lost his parents and had clung on to the only familiar thing he knew.

He cleared his throat to let them know he was there.

Everyone looked up at him, expressions ranging from anxious to devastated.

“What did he say?” Tubbo’s eyes flitted around nervously.

“Well, we’re not banned. He said we could come back here, but things would be strange.” Techno went back over the events in his mind.

Everyone seemed to visibly relax, but they still looked slightly uneasy.

Tommy curled up, similar to what Ranboo had done.

“This is all my fault. I was so stupid.” He was quiet, barely audible even with their advanced hearing.

Wilbur grabbed his hands and looked him in the eyes.

“This is not your fault. You weren’t the only one getting restless. Things are going to get better, it will just take time.” He spoke confidently and fiercely.

Tubbo walked up to them and hugged Tommy from the back.

Techno was sure that if vampires could cry, Tommy would be sobbing.

“You know what? We never actually got new clothes.” Phil said out of nowhere.

“Maybe we should take Ranboo’s advice and go to an actual clothing store.” Techno suggested.

“That’s a good idea. But first…” Phil trailed off as he joined the group hug that had formed.

Techno rolled his eyes, walked over to the pile, and wrapped his arms around Phil and Wilbur.

They may have gotten some weird looks, but it was all worth it.

It took a while to find a clothing store. They didn’t know the names of any modern stores, so they just had to look for stores that had clothes on display.

As they were looking around, they noticed that everyone else seemed to be using a different type of currency. 

Ranboo had mentioned something about that. 

While the “kids” (Wilbur, Tommy, and Tubbo) were looking at all the clothing options, Techno grabbed Phil’s shoulder.

“Ranboo mentioned something about going to a pawn shop or bank to get this money transferred into something we can actually use. Did you happen to see one of those on our way here?” Techno lowered his voice so that the humans around him wouldn’t hear.

“Hmm. I think there was a pawn shop a little ways south from here. You think you can go on your own?” Phil looked up at him.

“I think I can manage. Keep the children distracted for me.” Techno looked around for an exit.

He could hear Phil laughing as he made his way towards the door.

“Will do!”

It took Techno a while to find the pawn shop, mostly because it was more to the southeast than the south, but Phil never was the best with directions.

A small bell rang as he entered the shop, and the man behind the counter stared at him.

Techno pulled all seventeen coins out of his pocket and set them on the counter.

“I would like to trade these in, please.” He tried to remember how to be polite.

The guy inspected the coins for a moment before asking, “What year are these from?”

“I got these from my…..father..so I believe they are most likely around the year 1625.”

The guy widened his eyes before coughing and trying to act casual.

“I’ll give you thirty for each.” The guy smiled slyly.

“Deal.” Techno wasn’t too worried about losing a few coins. They had plenty back in Britain.

The guy went to the back, where he returned carrying a large stack of bills. He scooped the coins into his hands and smiled.

“Pleasure doing business with you.” His attention was completely on the coins.

Techno said nothing and left.

When he got back to the clothing store, he made sure to bully Phil for his lack of direction. He then began looking for something to wear.

He found some black boots and pants.

He was going to pick a basic shirt, but something caught his eye. It was a pink shirt, very similar to his hair color. There was a pocket, and on the pocket there was a picture of a crown.

Techno loved it.

He stuck it underneath his arm and caught up with the rest of the group.

Tommy had picked out some tan pants and a red and white shirt.

Wilbur chose black pants and a yellow sweatshirt. There were weird blue stains on the sleeves of it, but he insisted on getting that specific sweatshirt, for some reason.

Tubbo wanted a green button-up and jeans. He also attempted to get a bee plushie, but he begrudgingly put it back when Phil stated that they were only getting clothes.

Phil also picked out jeans, but he instead paired it with a shirt that said ‘1# Dad’.

They paid for their clothes and put them on in the fitting rooms.

They looked….a little strange, but much more human than they did before.

By the time they left, the moon was high in the sky.

Everyone was restless when they got to their clearing.

Techno tried to wait patiently for morning, but his thoughts raced. His brain voices weren’t leaving him alone either, going off about how Ranboo ‘hates them’ and ‘never wants to see them’. Lying little brain voices.

He closed his eyes and laid down on a patch of grass.

Things were going to be okay.

___

After an okayish night of sleep, Ranboo could conclude that he was just as troubled as before.

I mean, how was he supposed to react when a group of friendly strangers reveal that they’re vampires? 

He still could not believe it. Vampires were supposed to be things of fiction, horror stories you tell your siblings to freak them out.

Not actual real things. Things that were very dangerous and also deadly. 

But, Techno made a promise to him.

Ranboo wondered if vampires were like the fae, and if promises were really important.

Oh god, what if faeries were also real?

He set that idea aside as he unlocked the back door to the 7-Eleven.

Just after he finished with the last customer in the store, the bell at the front door rang.

He saw five familiar faces, and his fists clenched.

He took a deep breath and tried to look a lot less nervous. These were just the friendly people that smiled at him. That’s all.

Despite his recent discovery, he found himself relaxing slightly in their presence.

“Hey Ranboo!” Tubbo spoke enthusiastically.

“Oh, uh, hey guys.” He tried to smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace.

Tommy wouldn’t look at him. Did he do something wrong? Oh god, Ranboo really hoped he didn’t make him angry.

In the midst of that, Ranboo noticed that everyone has newer, more modern clothes. They must have taken his advice and went shopping.

He saw the little crown on Techno’s shirt. He really liked it. He’d had an obsession of sorts with crowns. He was just too poor to buy an actual one. He still enjoyed getting the cardboard crowns from Burger King.

“Ah, Techno, I really like your shirt.” He sounded more genuine this time.

Techno looked down as if he forgot he was wearing it.

“Thank you. I like your hair.” He smiled, slightly tense.

“Thanks. It’s really not my best work. I need to re-dye the roots.” He scratched the back of his neck. 

For some reason, it was easier to talk to Techno than it was for the rest of the group. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he was the one who made the promise.

“Everyone’s clothes look nice, really. They seem to really match your personalities.” Ranboo mentally face-palmed. Who says that??? 

Tommy finally looked at him, a small smile on his face. Okay, that was a relief. At least he wasn’t angry at Ranboo.

“So, is there any way we could talk to you outside of your job? It’s just, it’s not the most efficient way of communicating.” Wilbur spoke up.

Oh. He had not considered this.

“Uh, well, I’m off on the weekends, so Saturday or Sunday works. I can only do one of those days, though. I miss part of school because of my job, so I have to make up some work on those days.” Ranboo shut himself up. He really didn’t have to share his entire life story with these people.

The vampires’ faces seemed to soften. 

“Why are you working if you’re still in school? Shouldn’t your parents be doing that?” Phil questioned.

Ranboo tensed. He could almost hear their voices.

“We do so much for you, stop being an ungrateful brat!”

“You’re only alive because of us. The least you can do is shut up and be still.”

“Maybe this wouldn’t happen if you helped around the house.”

“This is your own fault. Do better next time.”

“If only you were more like your sister. She actually works.”

“You useless, worthless, waste of space.”

He could feel the scars all over him. Sharp pains from blood covered knives. Blue and purple bruises from hands that hurt hurt hurt hurt hurt why won’t it stop-

Ranboo’s vision went blurry and he realized he had been crying. He could barely see Techno’s panicked face in the haze. He grabbed a fistful of napkins and rubbed at his eyes.

“Kid, are you okay?” Techno sounded slightly panicked.

Ranboo took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

“Yes, I’m fine. Sorry about that.” His voice sounded watery.

“You don’t have to apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for.” Tommy sounded oddly fierce, like he was very passionate about the subject.

Ranboo felt a part of him crumble at those words. If that didn’t destroy him, then the groups’ sad expressions definitely did. They looked at him like he was a glass sculpture that a single gust of wind could shatter.

He composed himself.

“No no, it’s fine, really. Just a difficult subject. I’m actually an emancipated minor. That means I’m basically an honorary adult.” He sounded less and less fragile as he kept talking.

“That’s interesting. So you live alone?” Wilbur prompted him.

“Yep. Well, I used to live with my sister, but she….has to stay at the hospital for a while.” He stared at the ground and mumbled the last part of the sentence. 

The vampires’ must have heard him, because they quickly changed the subject.

“So, what do you do for fun?” Tubbo propped himself up on the counter.

“Well, I sometimes feed the ducks at the park. They like peas. Oh, and I like cooking.” He rambled, cheering up a little.

“That’s fun. If only we could eat. We’d love to try some of your food.” Phil stared longingly.

Oh yeah, he was talking to vampires. He had somehow forgotten.

Maybe they weren’t so bad.

Suddenly, an alarm on his phone went off, and Ranboo had to shut it off.

“Welp, that’s the end of my shift. It was nice talking to you guys.” Ranboo smiled, genuinely this time.

“It very much was! We’ll see you on Sunday!” Wilbur nearly shouted, making his way to the door.

The rest followed, waving to Ranboo as they left.

Techno was the last one. He looked around to make sure no one was around.

“If you ever need anything, just let us know.” Techno spoke quietly, looking Ranboo in the eyes.

Ranboo could feel himself breaking. He took a deep breath and just nodded. He couldn’t trust his voice to not betray how much that meant to him.

Techno nodded back. He looked around again, and right before he left, he leaned forward and bonked their heads together.

Afterwards, he waved and ran to meet up with his family.

He hadn’t been expecting it. The touch burned, but somehow not in a bad way.

Ranboo touched the place where their foreheads met and teared up.

His soul was literally held together with washi tape and glitter glue. He didn’t know how much more it could take.

He shook his head and began shutting everything off.

When he got to the ‘Open’ sign, he noticed it had already been turned off. Those sly vampires.

Chapter Text

The moon was shining high in the sky.

A group of five laid low, waiting for morning to make their move.

The leader of the group breathed deeply, taking in the scents of the night.

His one crimson eye flitted around wildly. His other eye was replaced with a large scar that ran all the way down his face.

“They’re here. I’m sure of it.” He growled.

The second in command stepped up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“No one doubts you, Quackity. I can smell them too.” 

Quackity whipped around to look him in the eyes.

“Then do your job. You’re a tracker, are you not, Sapnap?” He spoke coldly.

“If you’re going to be so pissy, take it up with Fundy. He’s the one being a baby about his wounds and slowing us down.” Sapnap gestured to the vampire behind him.

The group had gotten into a fight with a different vampire coven on their way up north. They won, of course, but not without battle scars.

“Just shut up and let me think.” Quackity hissed and turned around, signaling that the conversation was over.

He would find a way to get his revenge.

He already managed to get two new members, and he wouldn’t stop there.

He’ll take something precious from them. 

___

It was a slow day. Well, to be fair, it was two pm on a Wednesday, so school wasn’t out and lunch had already passed.

Ranboo leaned on the counter, bored. He wished he wasn’t the only one there, so he could take his break and pet the cats that lived behind the 7-Eleven.

The front bell rang, and he instinctively straightened his posture.

When his brain registered who had walked through the door, he couldn’t help but smile.

He wasn’t too sure how to feel.

One side of his brain was screaming about how easily they could rip his throat out, while the other side really enjoyed their company

Ignoring his internal predicament, he enjoyed the warm feeling he got when the groups’ faces lit up upon seeing him.

Tubbo ran and hoisted himself into the counter.

“What’s up bossman?” He turned to Ranboo and sat cross-legged.

“Y’know, I don’t think that’s allowed.” He spoke quietly, afraid to offend someone somehow.

“Oh come on, you’d make an exception for us, right?” Tubbo looked at him with what he could only describe as puppy dog eyes.

“You know what? Sure. You guys are like, the nicest people here anyways.” Ranboo shrugged and debated if he should make himself a slushie.

“Really? Are other people not nice?” Wilbur asked, suddenly appearing.

“No, not really. Most people nowadays only care about themselves.” He explained, grabbing a medium cup.

“Huh. Well, we think you’re great.” Wilbur gave him a charming smile.

Ranboo mumbled a thank you and began filling his cup with cherry slushie.

“What’s that?” Tommy pointed at his cup.

“This? It’s a slushie.” Ranboo popped on a lid and stuck a straw through the hole at the top.

Everyone just stared at him.

“It’s like, crushed up ice with flavor in it.” He clarified. They seemed to understand after that.

“Huh, modern technology really is something.” Tubbo leaned back.

Ranboo snorted.

“Modern? Slushies have been around since like, forever.” He took a long sip. Cherry is the best flavor of slushie, and he will fight whoever says it’s not.

Techno and Phil shared a glance.

“Definitely not forever, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s been around for a few decades. It seems relatively simple to make.” Techno leaned up on the counter.

“My sister is a few years older than me, and she loved them as a kid, so they’ve definitely been around for a while.” Ranboo’s enthusiasm dimmed at the thought of Niki. He really hoped she would get better soon.

The vampires seemed to notice, and quickly changed the subject after sharing a look.

“So where do you live?” Tommy asked with a shit-eating grin.

The question caught Ranboo so off guard, he choked on his slushie.

The group looked extremely panicked for a moment until he cleared his throat.

“I’m fine, that was just, extremely forward of you. I think I’m gonna keep that bit of information to myself, thank you very much.” He was slightly distressed and very anxious.

Most of the group was visibly disappointed, but Phil just smiled sweetly.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to tell us. You did just meet us.” 

Ranboo nodded.

There was an awkward silence for a moment before Tubbo turned around to face him.

“So how would you feel about being a vampire?” Tubbo, Tommy, and Wilbur all grinned, Phil was glaring at them, and Techno gave Ranboo an apologetic look.

“Actually I would prefer if I stayed human, please and thank you.” Ranboo seemed calm, but he was internally panicking.

Sure , Techno promised not to hurt him, but the others didn’t. They could do anything . They could hurt him or turn him or kidnap him or kill him-

“Kid, you need to calm down.” Techno’s voice was deep and it resonated within him.

He took a deep breath and tried to reassure himself.

Techno wouldn’t let anyone hurt him. He’s safe. 

Everyone looked at him in ranging states of worry.

He forced a smile.

“No need to look so worried. I’m okay, really!” He tried to sound convincing, but his voice was wobbly.

He was defenseless against the concerned looks he got from everyone.

He was unused to being looked at like he mattered, like he was important.

They always looked at Ranboo like he was a burden, like he was only there to be a problem.

He really needed to stop thinking about them . They were gone.

“Just wondering, how old are you guys?” Ranboo quickly changed the subject.

The worried expressions lessened and Phil looked to be deep in thought.

“I’m pretty sure we’re all about one hundred years apart, except for Tommy and Tubbo. I think they’re about fifty years apart. I was turned first, then Techno, Wilbur, Tommy, and Tubbo. I think I was turned at some point in the 1500’s.” Phil seemed to be doing the mental math.

And wow , Ranboo was not expecting them to be that old.

“So you’re like, five hundred years old?” Ranboo gaped, astonished.

“Yep! That why everyone calls me grandpa.” Phil narrowed his eyes at the rest of the group.

An alarm went off, and Ranboo realized it was dark out. Time really flies when you’re having fun.

“Welp, that’s the end of my shift. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” He started shutting things off and took off his name tag.

Everyone waved to him and began making their way to the door. Everyone except Techno. 

Ranboo looked over at him.

“Do you need something?” He walked over to the counter.

Techno glanced around before responding.

“I’m sorry about what the boys said. They won’t do anything that you’re not okay with. I won’t let them, I promise.” He sounded genuinely apologetic.

“It’s…okay. It just freaked me out a little.” Ranboo looked at the ground.

“Yeah, I could tell. Just, don’t worry about them, okay? They mean well, they’re just a little….blunt sometimes.” Techno stared at the door.

“I’ll keep it in mind.” Ranboo finally looked Techno in the eyes.

They stared at each other for a moment, until, just like the other night, Techno bonked their foreheads together and rushed out of the store.

It left Ranboo with a warm, fuzzy feeling. 

He locked up the 7-Eleven and began his walk home.

Barely five minutes after leaving, his noticed a group of people walking towards him.

He tried to cross the street, but the group got to him before he could.

The group contained five people, all looking at him with dark eyes.

“Well, what do we have here?” A short man with black hair and a single red eye stared at him. An ugly scar stretched across his face, where the other eye should’ve been.

“Um, I’m just going home.” He couldn’t meet the man’s gaze. He noticed the group making a circle around him, basically trapping him.

“ I heard that someone was spending a good amount of time with vampires. ” He had a malicious smile, and Ranboo noticed something.

The man’s canines were longer than normal, and looked very similar to Techno’s fangs.

He felt sick.

There were more vampires?

Not only that, the group didn’t look near as friendly as the other one.

He tried to back up, but ended up bumping into another vampire, one with eyes like a hungry shark, who scowled at him.

“Please, I just want to go home…” He pleaded.

The black-haired one, who looked to be the leader, grabbed his wrist.

He would say he froze, but he began shaking so badly that he was far from frozen.

Nails dug into his arm, and tremors shook his body so badly that he could barely stay upright.

“What? You don’t want to spend some time with us? I thought you were a fan of vampires.” His voice was so full of venom that Ranboo half expected his blood to start clotting.

“Please….just…..just let me go….” He squeezed his eyes shut and curled in on himself.

The pressure on his arm released.

“Hm. You can leave. This isn’t over, though.” The leader grinned malevolently.

Ranboo sat curled up on the sidewalk for a while. 

He only got up when he was sure they were gone.

He ran as fast as he could, and when he finally got to his apartment, he locked the door and closed the curtains.

He knew it wouldn’t do anything, but it brought him some form of comfort.

He didn’t fall asleep for a while, and when he did, it was plagued with nightmares of gleaming fangs and crimson eyes.

Chapter Text

Ranboo woke up completely bundled in his blanket. His face felt sticky, from what he assumed were tears. 

As his brain woke up more, memories of the night before came back to him.

His breath hitched, remembering the malicious smile and fangs.

He looked at his forearm, noticing small crescent-shaped indents, as if someone had dug into his skin with their nails. He shivered.

Electing to ignore the previous night, he got up for the day, Ranboo moved robotically, his brain on autopilot.

He hadn’t ever thought of the possibility that there were more vampires than just the group he knew. He still struggled to believe that they were real.

It did make sense though. It would be weird if there were only five vampires.

His phone rang, bringing him out of his thoughts. He cleared his throat and picked up.

“Hello?” His voice still sounded rough from sleep, and he internally winced.

“Is this Ranboo Beloved?” It was a professional-sounding voice.

“Yes, that is me.” His voice cleared slightly.

“Right, we’re calling on the behalf of Niki Beloved.”

Ranboo felt his stomach drop.

“Is…is everything okay? Is she okay?” Ranboo’s breath quickened.

“She is stable as of right now. We’re calling to inform you that her condition has worsened substantially. The doctor suggested increasing her dosage of medication. We just need your permission as her next of kin.” 

“Um…yeah. When can I come in to sign the documents?” Ranboo tried to keep his voice from shaking.

“Any time before ten pm works.” 

“Alright, I’ll be there. Thank you.” Ranboo hung up and sat on his bed.

Niki was getting worse? But she was doing good… How is he going to afford the extra medicine? What if he doesn’t get enough money? What if she-

Okay, deep breath.

He would just have to take more shifts, and use less grocery money. He didn’t eat much anyways. 

He was about to leave for work, when he remembered. 

It was Saturday.

He facepalmed. He really needed to keep track of the days.

In his defense, his mind had been very occupied. He had much more important things to worry about.

Letting his mind wander, Ranboo took out his phone to see what school work he needed to do. He basically had to do all of it in a day. He was starting to regret agreeing to meet the vampires on Sunday.

He made himself some coffee and prepared himself to cram his brain with five days worth of knowledge.

It wasn’t too bad, mostly because it took his mind off of Niki.

He finished at seven pm, and he remembered that he needed to sign some papers at the hospital.

The trip didn’t take long. (He lived five minutes away from the hospital)

He could barely keep himself together as he talked to the receptionist. 

While he waited for the documents, he kept looking at the staircase, as if Niki would suddenly appear, looking healthy and ready to go home.

He felt an empty pit in his stomach. He should have expected it. It was clear that it would be a hard situation, and yet he never got used to it. Niki was a constant in his life. He couldn’t even imagine life without her. Even if he didn’t see her much, he could always count on her to have some encouraging words, or an understanding smile.

He wiped away the forming tears. 

When he finally got the papers, he read all of them. Apparently, he would have to pay an extra two hundred dollars a month. He didn’t blink, trying to keep his tears from falling.

He signed his full name. Ranboo Mye Beloved

He contemplated going up to see Niki. It would only result in him getting kicked out, though. Visiting hours were over a while ago.

The receptionist took the papers and nodded at Ranboo, dismissing him.

On his way back, Ranboo sent an email to his boss, asking if there were any open shifts he could take.

He realized he hadn’t eaten anything when he felt his stomach rumble. 

How long had it been since he ate something?

That was probably something to be concerned about.

He unlocked the door to his apartment and walked in, immediately going for the fridge once he shut and locked the door.

He didn’t have much. Nothing he could use to make a whole meal.

He checked the freezer. There were frozen peas (for the ducks) and two hot pockets. Score.

He heated them up, cut them in half, and let them cool. He wasn’t about to eat them when the inside was basically molten lava.

As soon as they were edible, he quite literally scarfed them down. He was much hungrier than he thought.

A lot had happened to him in the past few weeks. No wonder some things were slipping his mind.

He collapsed on his bed, emotionally and physically exhausted. He was barely able to plug his phone in before he fell into a deep sleep.

___

Ranboo shut off his alarm with a grunt. He would have preferred to lay in bed all day, but he agreed to meet the vampires…..somewhere. 

It occurred to him that they never set up a meeting place or time. Well, that was less than ideal.

They would probably enjoy the park. Most people did. He could even bring peas to feed to the ducks.

Putting in the bare minimum effort, Ranboo got ready for the day. It had gotten colder, so he picked out his favorite hoodie and some baggy jeans. He debated leaving his phone, but he would probably need it, just in case the vampires decided to make him their next meal.

That was a dark thought. He preferred to not think about that. Besides, they promised to not hurt him. He could trust them a little bit, probably.

They would probably go to the 7-Eleven that he worked at. It was the only place they would think to look. 

Ranboo grabbed the bag of peas, locked the front door, and set off on the short trip.

It only took about fifteen minutes, and the vampires weren’t there yet. Leaning against the building, he took out his phone and scrolled on TikTok to pass the time. 

About half an hour later, Ranboo heard approaching footsteps. He stuck his phone in his pocket and stared at the oncoming group.

They seemed to speed up when he looked at them. Tommy got to him first.

“Where were you yesterday?” Tommy practically demanded, hands on his hips.

The rest of the group caught up, looking at him expectedly.

“Um, at home? I don’t work on the weekends.” Ranboo wondered if he made them upset or something. 

Tommy seemed to process that for a moment before visibly relaxing.

“Oh. We thought you got kidnapped or something.” He said casually.

“Or that you didn’t want to see us anymore.” Tubbo stared at the ground.

“Oh…sorry about that. To be fair, I did tell you guys that I don’t work on weekends.” Ranboo picked at his nails, a nervous habit.

Phil smiled at him.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. We just didn’t keep track of the days.” He said cheerfully.

“We would’ve gotten here sooner, but Tommy stained his shirt while hunting, so we had to soak it in a river.” Techno narrowed his eyes at the blonde.

He noticed a pinkish-looking spot on Tommy’s white shirt.

“Hunting….?” Ranboo trailed off when he realized.

Oh. That’s….concerning. A nice reminder that he’s surrounded by creatures that are literally designed to kill humans. He suddenly feels uncomfortable. And slightly scared. 

Wilbur noticed his change in demeanor and quickly clarified.

“Not humans! We hunt animals. Y’know, like deer.” He sounded a little panicked.

“Oh. That’s relieving.” Ranboo sighed. He already had the scare of a lifetime the other night, he didn’t need another one.

“Soooo, what are we gonna do today?” Tubbo bounced on his heels.

“Well, I brought peas so we could go feed the ducks at the park. But only if you guys want to, of course.” He was slightly nervous that they wouldn’t want to go with him.

“That sounds fun!” Phil looked genuinely excited.

“Yeah. I’ve never done it before.” Techno seemed curious.

The other three enthusiastically agreed to go.

“Ah, okay, well, just follow me, I guess. I don’t actually have a car. I sorta walk everywhere.” Ranboo was slightly embarrassed to admit it.

“Really? We walk everywhere too. It’s just more convenient for us.” Techno explained.

“Huh. That makes sense.” Ranboo thought about it. 

They didn’t need to eat or sleep, and they were probably faster than the average human. They could literally walk anywhere.

Ranboo looked behind him to make sure everyone was following, and he started his route to the park.

___

Techno was happy to see Ranboo again. 

He didn’t want to admit that he had been worried when Ranboo wasn’t at work. He had too much pride for that.

The kid was in front of him, leading the group to the park. Techno was happy to go, mostly because of how excited Ranboo seemed at the prospect.

Techno hadn’t ever fed ducks. It would’ve been considered foolish to waste good food on animals that didn’t yield any product. 

Times change, however, and food’s probably a lot easier to get compared to centuries ago.

It took about twenty minutes of walking and friendly banter until they got to the park. There were very few people.

“I like to come here on Sunday, because everyone’s at church, so it’s not as crowded.” Ranboo explained, looking back at the group.

Techno hummed in response while the others nodded.

They looked around for a moment before stopping at a bench that was facing a pond.

Ranboo sat in the middle, Techno and Tubbo at his sides. If they squished together, they could probably fit someone else, but Techno knew how Ranboo felt about touch.

Wilbur rolled his eyes. Techno held his head high, as if gloating about being the one who got to sit next to Ranboo.

The teen took out his bag of peas and scooped some out.

“You just gotta toss them in the water. The ducks will come over here when they realize I’m here.” 

Techno cupped his hands and Ranboo dropped some peas in them.

He did the same for the whole group, and just like he said, the ducks began swimming over to them.

The ducks would dip their beaks in the water, picking up the peas. Sometimes they would even dunk their whole head in. It was quite funny to watch.

Wilbur and Tommy were very amused, and Tubbo named every duck he saw. Phil just watched, a calm smile on his face.

Techno mostly liked how at-ease Ranboo looked. The kid was almost always tense, so it was nice to see him relaxing.

While Techno was watching, he noticed something. On Ranboo’s right arm, there were small nail-shaped indents. 

He made a small noise to get Ranboo’s attention. When the teen looked at him, Techno pointed to his arm.

“What happened there?” He said quietly, trying to not alert the others. It worked, but only because they were very distracted.

Techno saw fear flash into Ranboo’s eyes for a moment, until he just looked anxious.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. I was just wondering, are all vampires like, friends with each other?” 

Techno snorted.

“Definitely not. Most vampires are only friends with the ones in their coven. Why do you ask?” 

“Well, because I may have had an encounter with a different vampire. At least I think he’s a vampire. I’m not one hundred percent sure.” Ranboo looked down at his feet.

Techno stiffened. A wave of protectiveness washed over him.

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner? We could have protected you. What did they look like?” 

Ranboo looked surprised for a second before going back to being anxious.

“Well, there were like, five of them. They crowded around me in a circle. The only one that talked to me had one red eye, a gross face scar, I think he was wearing blue, too.” Ranboo was deep in thought.

Techno froze. 

The description sounded exactly like the man who tried to turn him.

It sounded like Quackity.

Phil had explained everything to him after he was first turned. 

“He didn’t do anything to you, did he?” Techno was slightly surprised at how fierce his voice sounded.

“No….other than the nail indents, he didn’t do anything. He was talking about a bunch of stuff, like how I’m apparently spending a lot of time with vampires, and that he wasn’t done with me.” Ranboo shuddered, as if he was experiencing it all over again.

Techno clenched his fist. Quackity somehow knew. And he was threatening their kid.

“Do you mind if I tell everyone else? They would want to know.” Techno kept his voice calm, even though his brain voices were screaming about how Quackity needed to die.

“I mean, sure. I don’t mind. Just, maybe not right this second.” Ranboo laughed but it sounded nervous.

“Thank you. And, please be careful. I don’t want something bad to happen just because we aren’t there to protect you.” Techno sighed, despite not needing to breathe.

“I…I will.” Ranboo looked slightly teary, but Techno didn’t mention it.

He held his hand out to the teen. Ranboo hesitantly took it. Techno gave his hand a comforting squeeze, then let go as if nothing happened.

The air was calm, until Tubbo plucked a duck out of the water and carried it around, claiming that its name was Benson and it was his child.

That lightened the mood, and they continued feeding ducks until they ran out of peas.

Tubbo was sad that he had to put the duck back. Phil had to promise him that he’d get one as a pet when they got a house.

They walked about halfway back when Ranboo stopped.

“Well, I’m going to go home, and you guys can go….wherever you live.”

A chorus of byes followed, and Techno did his usual forehead bonk, whispering, “Remember what I told you.”

Ranboo nodded and waved to him before turning back around.

Techno watched for a moment, until Phil tapped him on the shoulder.

He didn’t like leaving the kid alone when Quackity was roaming around, but he most likely would be comfortable with the group watching him every second of the day.

Oh boy, he had a lot to explain.

Chapter Text

Techno would not enjoy recounting what Ranboo told him to the rest of the group, especially since everyone was in a good mood from their little outing.

Wilbur, Tommy, and Tubbo all knew about Quackity and Las Nevadas. Phil had told the story many times about how Techno was almost part of their coven. They already had a bad impression of Las Nevadas, and the new info would not go over well.

Phil’s face looked like a mixture of worried and furious (mostly furious), while the other three looked like they were ready to murder Quackity. Tubbo was gripping a tree branch so tightly, it started to splinter.

To Techno’s surprise, a little bit of the anger was directed at him.

“You just let them go?! When there’s a whole coven after him?!” Wilbur shouted, making large hand gestures. It was only something he did when he was really upset.

“You should have told us as soon as you knew! We could have been on the lookout for them!” Tubbo let go of the tree branch. It completely snapped off and fell to the ground.

“They specifically asked for me not to say anything until later! Besides, what would we have done? He already made it clear that they weren’t comfortable with the idea of us at his house!” Techno defended himself.

Tommy was silent, pacing and very obviously freaking out. Phil seemed to be brainstorming, but was also clearly anxious.

Wilbur and Tubbo took a moment to calm themselves, and Phil sighed.

“Well, what are we going to do?” He said, turning to Techno as if he somehow had the answer.

Truthfully, he didn’t. Techno hadn’t felt that helpless since the day he was turned.

Okay, they just had to start from the beginning.

“How did they find us?” Techno asked.

Phil looked to be deep in thought.

“Quackity has definitely gotten some new members by now. Maybe one of them has a really good sense of smell, and they tracked us.” He suggested.

Tommy walked over to them, seemingly ready to join the conversation.

“I guess that makes sense. How would they even know about Ranboo though?” He began pacing again, but slower.

“I suppose when we’ve been so… preoccupied , it wouldn’t be too difficult to sneak around us, especially if one of them has good hearing.” Phil supplied.

Just leave it to Quackity to pick coven members that were the most useful for him.

“We’ll just have to be careful, and a lot more observant. I don’t know what they want with Ranboo, but knowing them, it isn’t anything good.” Techno spoke his thoughts aloud.

With more knowledge and (kinda) a plan, everyone seemed to relax a bit. 

Tommy, in his usual fashion, started to complain.

“Ughhh, I’m so hungry! How long has it even been? I swear I could eat a horse!”

Wilbur looked at him with something akin to disgust.

“Ugh, no. Last time you did that you were practically bouncing off the walls. Never again.”

“What if we shared one?” Tubbo piped up.

“ No one is eating a horse. You kids go off on your own. You know the rules, don’t eat too much, and nothing endangered!” Phil shouted the last part as the trio ran off into the forest.

They would definitely be washing blood off of their clothes in the creek again.

Techno felt about as thirsty as they did, but he didn’t feel like hunting. He was too anxious to focus on anything.

A hand settled on his shoulder. Phil gave him a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry. We haven’t lost any kids yet, and we aren’t about to start now.”

___

Ranboo was not having a good day.

They barely got any sleep, so he was practically a zombie at work. 

He kept thinking about Niki. It made them really sad, and he had to stop himself from crying during their shift multiple times.

A quick glance in the bathroom mirror told him that they looked just as bad as he felt. 

There were dark bags under their slightly teary eyes. His face was red from the constant almost-crying.

After washing their face, he didn’t look too much better, but it would have to do.

Things continued on as normal. They calmed down after a while, and played his favorite music over the store speakers to help them distract himself.

About halfway through their shift, Techno and his family walked through the sliding glass doors, marveling at it like they always did.

Ranboo wasn’t expecting them to come so soon. Usually they would come around at the end of his shift.

Techno speed walked over and quickly whispered to Ranboo.

“Just so you know, I told them about your little… interaction with that other vampire. They might be a little bit weird and protective for a while.”

“Protective…?” Ranboo whispered back.

Techno muttered “Nevermind.” as the rest of the group caught up.

Tubbo, like usual, hopped up on the counter, smiling when he got a sigh out of Ranboo.

“You guys are here early. Any particular reason?” Ranboo spoke after everyone crowded around the counter.

“Nope. Just wanted to see you!” Wilbur said it with such ease. Like he truly meant it.

No. Ranboo is not going to cry in front of them again. It’s too embarrassing.

“Ah, well, thanks?” They stumbled through the sentence.

It was silent for a moment as the group got a good look at him. Their happy expressions faded slightly.

“Ranboo, are you feeling okay? I mean this in the nicest way possible, but you don’t look so good.” Phil spoke softly.

Okay, that was inevitable. They were far too observant to not notice.

They took a deep breath.

“Remember when I told you about my sister? In the hospital?” 

The group nodded in unison. 

“Well, she’s not doing very well, so the hospital increased her dosage of medication, and it’s going to cost me quite a bit of money. I might actually end up working here on the weekends.” He laughed humorlessly.

The group stared at them with such heartbreaking expressions. It chipped away at his resolve to act strong.

“I’m very sorry to hear that.” Wilbur spoke with a grave tone, starkly contrasting from how he sounded earlier.

The rest of the group expressed similar sentiments.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Techno added at the end of his sentence.

Another brick was removed from the walls he built up.

“No….no I don’t think so. A distraction would be nice.” They fidgeted with his shirt sleeve.

After a second, Techno began talking about his life before he was turned.

His father was a baker, most likely the best in his village. Techno planned to inherit the bakery after his father died, but he decided against it after he was turned.

Tubbo started animatedly telling a story about a heist he pulled off when he was still human. 

The others in the group would chime in with details he failed to mention. They seemed to know the story quite well.

To be fair, they spent decades together, so it makes sense that they know each other so well.

A small part of Ranboo wished to have that connection with someone. They used to be like that with Niki, but after years of being in the hospital, she was a shadow of the person she used to be.

Well, he kinda had the vampires. They weren’t really close, though. At least, not yet.

“Why me?” Ranboo blurted out of nowhere.

The group stared at him, looking slightly confused.

“I mean, you guys are immortal! You could be doing whatever you want! But you’re here, in a crappy convenience store, just to hang out with a random teenager.” They rambled.

The vampires stared at each other, hesitating.

“It’s hard to explain.” Phil spoke first.

“Just imagine you’re looking at someone, and you have a strong urge to be around them. It’s like a constant pull.”  Techno attempted an explanation.

“You would do anything for them, no matter the cost.” Wilbur added on.

“Even if you don’t know them, they’re like your best friend from that moment on.” Tommy looked Ranboo in the eyes.

“You no longer live for just yourself. You live for that person.” Techno finished.

Everyone was looking at them for some reason, with such serious expressions, and-

Oh. Oh.

They were talking about him. All those words expressed how they felt when they looked at him .

Emotions had already been high, and they were just so tired. When the tears came, they let them fall.

No longer being able to hold himself together, Ranboo broke .

They set their head down on the counter, wrapping his arms around their head.

In between sobs, he heard the front door lock, and slightly panicked voices above them.

“What do we do?!” Tubbo whisper-yelled.

“I don’t know! Wilbur, what did you do when I was like this?!” Tommy whispered back.

“I would usually rub your back and hold your hand, but I don’t think that will work for them.” Wilbur softly spoke.

“It’s worth a try.” Techno said, sounding determined..

All of a sudden, there was a hand on his shoulder. 

Ranboo flinched back, hard . They hated it when he cried. 

But Techno’s large, calloused hand felt nothing like theirs , and Techno wouldn’t hurt them.

Ever so slowly, Techno rubbed small circles into Ranboo’s back.

It felt…nice. Niki would always rub his back after he had a nightmare.

It was comforting. And it had been so long , since touch didn’t feel bad.

After a few minutes, the tears stopped. Ranboo slowly lifted their head. Techno stopped the circular motions and removed his hand from their back.

Ranboo ignored the part of his brain that wanted him to keep doing it.

The vampires looked relieved, and a little happy.

They flushed after realizing that, once again, he cried in front of the group. 

They quickly stood up and roughly wiped at his eyes.

“Sorry about that. I guess I was just pretty emotional tonight, Y’know, with my sister and…” he trailed off.

Techno rested his hand on Ranboo’s shoulder. The initial contact spooked them, but he relaxed after a second.

“You shouldn’t have to apologize for experiencing emotions.” Phil smiled sadly at them.

“Yeah! You’re all good, man.” Tubbo scooted up a little closer to him.

Ranboo almost felt undeserving of all the positive attention. They allowed himself to revel in it for a moment. He should enjoy it while it lasts.

After all, you never know when something you love is going to get ripped away from you.

___

Behind the 7-Eleven, a man with red eyes and fangs listened in on a conversation.

He had light orange hair, and a face that looked like a sly fox. He ran off into the night, pleased to have something to report to his boss.