Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The screams still haunted his every dream.

The boy was young; Barely old enough to string together basic sentences. His first memories should have been full of laughter and light. A mother's lullaby, a father's gentle guidance. A butterfly landing on his nose.

Yet all he heard was screaming. 

Shrill, horrified wailing pierced his little ears as he was scooped up by his neighbors. He watched his world turn into a hurried blur as he was whisked away into a large contraption the likes of which he'd never seen before. He couldn't make out where he was, or why his neighbors were taking him away. All he could hear were the terrified shrieks of those around him, notably, his mother. 

He cried out to her, tiny hands reaching towards the sound of her voice before quickly being shoved down to his sides by the person strapping him to the seat inside. Tears welled up in his eyes as he tried to ask what was going on, but was quickly silenced by the closing of a large hatch. 

There were noises. Loud ones. They made him want to cover his ears, but unfortunately, they were bound to his sides by the seatbelt. He watched as the only home he'd ever known quickly began to sink below him, the contraption he was inside of shooting up into the large dark sky that never seemed to change.

That was the day everything changed.

The day his world was shifted upside down.

And as he got older, as the truth was slowly revealed over time, his life's purpose became clear.

Vampires were a plague on this earth. A plague that must be eradicated. 

Chapter Text

"So, what's the deal with smiles over there?"

Scout casually sauntered over to where Engineer and Medic were tinkering with some device. It had been mere hours since the last fight, everyone was still somewhat riding the adrenaline of it all. Except for one.

When Scout's query caught the ears of the two scientists, they both took a moment to turn their attention to the boy.  Medic was the first to notice, pressing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he looked up from the contraption. "What was that, Scout?"

Engineer also took a moment to pause what he was doing, and set down the remote he was messing with. It was hard to see the boy through the thick haze of his welding goggles, but after a few moments, he was able to make out the rough shape of his figure.

Scout gestured upward to the loft that sat above the door to the common area. It had mostly been used for storage, with stacks of crates and boxes full of mysteries slowly building up over time. Beneath the window of the loft that lit the common area during the day, sat The Sniper. While everyone else used the common area to occupy themselves between missions or get to know their comrades a little better, he always preferred to stay up in that little hidey hole of his. He was in that same spot every single time; Underneath the window, curled up on a stack of crates as he stared out into the distance, like he was searching, waiting  for something.

"That one," Scout affirmed as he turned his attention back to the two scientists. "What's his deal? Dude never talks to anyone- he just sits up there and...broods."

He watched as Engineer and Medic shared a knowing look. There was a quiet tension between the two that Scout could barely catch. It was unnerving, like there was a secret he wasn't in on. It made his skin crawl.

"What?"

The two broke their gaze. Medic went back to his tinkering, refusing to take part in this conversation, while Engineer tilted his expression toward the floor, and cleared his throat.

"Snipes ain't exactly one for conversation," He explained quietly, stepping closer to Scout. "He's a bit of an odd one, that feller."

Scout scoffed, crossing his arms. "Clearly."

"Look," Engineer sighed as he rolled his shoulders back. "I wouldn't worry about him too much. He ain't a bad guy, just real quiet like. Prefers to keep to himself. I'd respect that if I were you."

Scout raised an eyebrow. "You talk about 'im like he's some sort of ghost."

Medic nudged Engineer for a brief moment, asking him for a screwdriver. Engineer handed it to him, and Medic replied with a quiet "Danke."

Engineer didn't say much as he picked his remote back up, poking a screwdriver at one of the panels on the back. "Don't mean to. We just don't got much to tell, is all. He's a man of few words."

"He is a bushman, no?" Medic pointed out, "Perhaps he is a victim of the Vampiric Crisis."

There was a small silence that hung in the air between the trio. Engineer hummed in thought, scratching his chin. Scout looked between the two in confusion. 

“Uh…the what now?”

Engineer furrowed his brow in disbelief as he looked back over at Scout. “Gods’ sake, boy, they teach you anything in school?”

"I don’t believe he went,” Medic corrected him. “I didn’t see anything like that on his file.”

”I did as a matter of fact,” Scout huffed, offended, glaring between the two scientists. “I just...dropped out. Anyways- the hell are you on about? Vampires?”

Engineer nodded. "Yep. Vampires. Surprised you aint heard of 'em."

It was at this Scout began to laugh.  "Uh, of course I have? They're the movie monster blood suckers that like to turn into bats and shit. But they aint real."

However, Medic and Engineer didn't seem to share Scout's amusement. There was an uncomfortable silence between them while Scout laughed. Medic sighed heavily.

"That's where you're wrong," 

Scout watched Medic look back up at the loft. Scout couldn't help but follow his gaze. The Sniper was now looking down at them; His face was obstructed by shadow, expression unclear. The temperature in the room seemed to drop at least ten degrees as he stood up.

"You really think Vampires aint real, mate?"

Scout stumbled backwards as The Sniper hopped down from the loft, the thick worn souls of his boots making loud thump against the cold concrete. He rolled his shoulders, adjusting his posture as he observed the band of vagabonds in front of him. When he slowly began advancing, Scout felt a harsh chill rattle his spine as he began to stammer.

"I-well...yeah?" He laughed nervously. "They're- yknow- they're movie monsters! Halloween characters!" He gestured vaguely, "You don't exactly see them walkin around at night, do you?"

Sniper was quiet, staring Scout down with an expression the boy couldn't parse. His gaze was cold as the grave, piercing Scout's chest like a knife. His eyes narrowed, but he still didn't say anything. Instead, he reached into the pocket of his vest, and pulled something out, encasing it in his hand. He lowered it onto the table, and when he took his hand away, it was clear what it was.

A fang.

The silence was now pregnant with tension and unspoken queries as all three of them stared at it in disbelief. It was big; much bigger than your average human canine, but clearly wasn't big enough to belong to an animal.

"Now what in the Sam Sill is that?" Engineer murmured, eyes locked on the artifact. 

"That from some dog?" Scout reached out to grab it, but yelped as his hand was slapped away.

Sniper pointed at the fang. "Took that one from a bloke I caught stalkin' the perimeter," He reached down, and scooped it back up in his hand as he pocketed it once again. "He was a bitch to take down, but at the end a' the day, I was the one takin' his fangs out his wretched head."

"I-" Scout stammered, gesturing vaguely as he tried to wrap his head aroud everything he'd just saw. "This- this must be a joke. They ain't real- they're just stories!"

"They're far more than just stories, mate," Sniper spoke gravely, his voice low and heavy with the weight of his words. "They're real. Very real."

Medic cleared his throat, placing his hand on the table next to where Scout was standing. "Vampires aren't the monsters you see on screen, Scout," He explained. "It's a rare genetic condition. It's recessive, passed on from parent to offspring. Many carry the gene, but few ever present symptoms."

"But there are plenty that still do," Sniper added on, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "They either live alone or in small colonies. Don't ever come out during the day. They like to bag their prey in the shadows."

Medic stepped away from the table, brushing the oil from the contraption's guts onto his worn work slacks. "Vampires don't take well to sunlight. While they don't burst into flames, like in the stories, their bodies cannot process the UV rays like normal people, thus making their skin much more vulnerable to it. Prolonged exposure can lead to rashes, lesions, cancerous tumors-"

"Wait," Scout cut him off, "So, you're saying that Vampires are real- like, real, actual people? And anyone can be a Vampire?"

"Again, it's very rare," Medic explained as he stepped closer to Scout. "Most carry it passively-"

"But,"  Sniper interjected, taking out a cigarette from his vest pocket. He slipped it between his lips as he brought out a silver lighter. "If you're bitten by one o' them bloodsuckers, and you carry that gene? You ain't gonna wake up at the pearly gates the next morning."

He took a moment to light up. The subtle clink clink of the steel mechanism striking the flint within the lighter echoed throughout the vacant area. He took a slow, deep drag of the toxic substance, before exhaling a long drawn out puff of smoke that billowed out into the open air like the smokey breath of a dragon.

"That gene is awakened. And now, you're one o' them."

Scout was reeling. He felt like he had been slapped in the face with an earth-shattering reality check, and a sick joke all at once. He'd grown up believing that Vampires were just...stories; Movie monsters that haunted ancient crypts and castles, not ordinary people living amongst society.

Medic shook his head, looking down at the floor with a solemn expression as he allowed Scout to process everything he'd just been told. "Vampires are unfortunate souls. They're unable to gather nutrients from food like ordinary people. They need to extract the nutrients from another person's body, blood just happens to be the best conduit for it-"

"They're vermin," Sniper interrupted, shooting a dirty look over at Medic as if the very idea that Vampires were a group to be pitied was almost blasphemous. "They live amongst their prey and befriend their victims before leadin' them to slaughter like goddamn cattle. Except they don't kill 'em quick,"

Engineer coughed. "Snipes-"

"You see," Sniper continued despite Engineer's protests. "Blood is processed better if the host is still alive. So? They lead the poor bloke into their crypt, and slowly, painfully, drain every single ounce of blood from his body. It's slow, it's painful, and it's excruciating."

"Sniper!" Engineer barked, pointing an accusatory finger toward the taller man. "You're scarin' the kid!"

"Good," He growled, now glaring daggers at his colleague. "Vampires ain't no joke. He wanted to know the truth? He got the truth. He's young, naive, and uninformed, and I'm not lettin 'em take another innocent bloke for a fool."

The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The silence between them was dense and suffocating, making Scout feel as though he were choking on it. However, the sudden opening of a door caused the men to turn their attention toward the right corridor, where Spy had emerged, hands folded behind his back as he strode into the room.

"Again with the vampire nonsense, Sniper?" Spy scoffed, a condescending smirk crossing his face. "Your little crusade has had you in hysterics for weeks now."

"It ain't hysterics," Sniper spat, taking another drag from his cigarette. "It's warranted fear. You'd do well not to undermine me about things you clearly don't know anythin' about."

"Hmph," Spy huffed. "Forgive me for the assumption then. One can only gather so much from the innate ramblings of a madman," Spy took a moment to clap a hand on the now quite shaken Scout on the shoulder, elliciting a sharp gasp from the younger boy. "Don't pay him much attention. He's fanatic."

"He's experienced." Sniper shot back, his lips curling into a subtle snarl as his posture stiffened. "Believe what you will, but you can't exactly blame me. I've been huntin' their kind for a long time, and I've seen shit that would put most men in a bloody ward."

Spy shrugged. "Fair point, I do not wish to say that you are wrong in your distaste for them," He circled the table, taking slow, calculated steps as he planned his next words. "Only that the line between ambition and obsession is one that's often blurred. Careful you do not lose yourself in the latter."

Sniper was silent, his gaze downcast as he took another deep inhale of smoke. His lips pressed into a thin line, clearly trying to come up with some way to counter Spy's statement, but nothing came. He sighed.

"You may have a point," He relented, taking his cigarette between his fingers. "But I've got one in me sights I can't just let go."

He flicked his cigarette to the ground, stomping it out with the toe of his boot. Ash smeared across the cold concrete in one short streak, and Sniper continued.

"He's a slippery one. Been lurkin around the area for a while now," He adjusted his hat slightly, tilting it downwards. "Lotsa blokes been vanishin' without a trace near the outskirts of a town nearby. It's the same damn thing every time. Cold corpse, blood drained, shrivled like a goddamn raisin."

Scout gagged, "I think I'm gonna be sick..."

Spy put his hand to Scout's shoulder again, helping the boy steady himself. "And you don't think it's just some madman?"

"I've seen serial killers, and I've seen Vampires," Sniper explained. "Vampires don't leave blokes lookin like crushed juice boxes."

Scout broke through the group, rushing towards a trashcan on the other side of the room. A sickening hurl erupted from his chest as the contents of his lunch from earlier all came back up and into the can he was hunched over. Engineer broke away, walking over to help the poor kid gain his bearings, leaving only Sniper, Scout, and Medic standing around the table with the gutted contraption laying abandoned on its splintered wood surface.

Sniper shook his head. "It's kids like him I worry about the most," he confessed as he watched the scene play out in front of him. "He's the perfect target for those pests."

Spy crossed his arms. "He's a fool, but he's got a solid sense of self preservation. He'll be fine."

"I hope so," Sniper replied, that same grave tone from earlier was laced with a subtle hint of concern. "Because I'll be damned if I let that sick bastard gut him like a fish."

Chapter Text

Bam!

The gunshot rang throughout the open air of the harsh New Mexico desert. The target that Sniper had set up merely a few yards away was blown to hell and back. The cardboard training dummy had been ripped to shreds, with 7.62 MM holes scattered across its front. Sniper remained silent as he cocked his rifle, raising the scope to his eye again, lining up another shot. 

It had been days since the trail ran cold. He was growing restless- antsy. He was right on that bloodsucker's heels, and right as he was about to catch the bastard, it was as if he merely vanished into thin air; leaving the Sniper with nothing but a scattered array of dried out corpses in his wake.

He took the next shot. The bullet shot out of the barrel of the rifle, rocketing towards the target much farther back than the last. It whizzed past it with a loud fwip! A cloud of dust emerged from the sagebrush as the bullet made contact with the ground. He missed. 

"Dammit to hell..." Sniper grumbled, lip curling back into slight snarl as he took aim again. 

It was already hard enough catching him the first time. It would take weeks to find him again. Sniper had dealt with a wide variety of vampires within the short span of years he'd spent as a hunter, but none of them gave him a challenge like this one. 

He took another shot. Fwip!

Miss.

"Bloody hell!"

Sniper reloaded again. He exhaled a long, heavy sigh as he brought the scope back up to his eye once again.

Focus.

He was clever. Too clever. Every time Sniper took a step, he took two. Every trap he laid, every shadow he lurked in, it was like the Vampire had eyes in the back of his head. He'd conveniently stray from his normal route and take a back road to his next victim. He would change targets on a dime, and conveniently drop certain ones altogether. Sniper growled low in his throat as he took aim, sucked in a deep breath, and held his finger over the trigger.

Steady...Steady...

Bam!

The bullet pierced the area right between the cardboard dummy's eyes.  The force of the shot blew the head off the makeshift body, throwing it to the wind. Smoke billowed from the barrel of his rifle, the smell of gunpowder and hot metal surrounding the hunter like rich incense. He hadn't noticed he was breathing so heavily until now. His shoulders rose and fell with every labored breath, and his hands were trembling as he slowly lowered his rifle. This...was unusual. Highly unusual. While it wasn't uncommon for hunters to go mad, Sniper never thought he'd become one of those unlucky fools. He was too calm, too focused. Yet it took him three shots to land what should have otherwise been an easy kill. 

Was he losing his touch?

There was a crack. A snapping of a branch. The surrounding sagebrush rustled as someone drew near, but Sniper was unsure who. The footsteps were too heavy to be a rabbit, or a coyote. No...these were the footsteps of a man. He grabbed his gun and shot back around to look the perpetrator in the eye, finger ready to pull that trigger at the first hint of danger, but quickly relaxed once he saw it was just (a scared shitless) Scout.

"Jesus!" Scout yelped, jumping back a bit as he held his hands up in surrender. "Snipes, it's just me! Cool your boots, man!"

Sniper was still panting, heart racing as he slowly lowered the gun. His eyes shot towards the ground as a sheepish expression crossed his face.

"Shit...sorry mate," He murmured, setting his gun against a large boulder that he'd been using as a makeshift table. He made sure to keep the barrel pointed towards the field away from Scout as to not scare the boy any further. As he turned to face the boy, he brought a sheepish hand to the back of his neck. "I ain't used to people comin' out back. Mistook ya for a coyote, or somethin' worse."

Scout laughed nervously as he lowered his hands. "It's fine, all good," He replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he leaned back on his heels with a sheepish grin. "Maybe if you actually talked to people, we'd come see ya' a little more."

A heavy silence fell between the two. Sniper waited for a moment, as if he was counting down the moment it dawned on him. He watched as Scout's face fell the moment realization struck him like a brick to the face. 

"Shit-! Uh, I didn't- look I just- I-I-I meant that we just- we never really get to tal to you so I figured-"

Sniper laughed softly, a crooked smile slowly spreading across his face as he picked up the rifle, and turned back to his cardboard dummies.

"Relax, lad. I know what you meant."

He took aim again, stiffening his posture as he nestled the rifle in his underarm, eyeing the dummy front and center through the scope. Scout hesitantly stepped beside him, watching him aim.

"So, uh..." He cleared his throat as he watched Sniper take the shot. "Vampires...huh?"

Sniper lowered his rifle, and took the magazine out. He set it aside as he reached for the box of ammo beside him. "What about 'em?"

Scout watched as Sniper began to reload the magazine, his skilled, nimble fingers manipulating the small pieces of brass and lead like they were parts of himself. It was like watching a skilled pianist perform a complicated ballad. Except...bloodier.

"You, hunt them? I'm guessing?"

Sniper nodded. "Yep. Been doin' it for a while, at least ten years."

Scout whistled. "Wow. That's...a long time."

"Mhm."

Another silence fell over the two as Sniper slid the now full magazine back into his weapon. He held it up to his shoulder again. 

"So," Scout continued, shifting his weight between his feet while he watched the Sniper practice. "And you don't gotta answer this, but uh...why do you hunt them? There others?"

Sniper paused. His eyes glazed over as his rifle faltered slightly in his grasp. He seemed to be staring through the dusty floor of the New Mexico desert, before he quickly regained his senses, and refocused his sights.

"That's a loaded question, mate," He answered dryly. He didn't even look over at the boy to his right. He pulled the trigger. A dummy a few yards away fell to the ground. 

"Right...yeah," Scout cleared his throat. "I guess you're just...the first guy I've met that hunts movie monsters."

"Not movie monsters," Sniper corrected, briefly glancing over at Scout. His voice was much lower than it had been previously, and Scout swore he could feel that dark baritone deep within his bones. "Vermin. They're dangerous, not a bloody joke. You'd do best to remember that."

Bam! Another shot cracked through the arid atmosphere like a whip. Scout jumped at the suddenness of it, gravel crunching beneath his shoes as he stumbled backwards.

"Yeah...that. Look," Scout made his way back over to the hunter, closing the distance as he nervously fidgeted with his fingers. "I guess I'm just wonderin' why someone would dedicate their time to goin' toe to toe with 'em if they're so dangerous. Aren't you scared?"

Sniper laughed, his voice worn and dry as he lowered the gun once again, pausing his training session to look Scout in the eye. "If you ain't afraid of 'em, you're a bloody fool."

Scout stood back as Sniper walked over toward his camper van, watching as he set his gun aside and opened the door. He reached inside to grab something, and emerged a moment later with a flask. It was worn and rusted, with scratches and dents all over the outside of it. It was well-used, and well-loved. It was clearly something Sniper had been bringing along with him for a long time. The Sniper twisted the top off, and took a swig, before walking over to the Scout and offering him a sip.

"I'm good, thanks," He declined. "I can't stand the taste of that stuff." 

Sniper shrugged with an amused chuckle. "I figured. Most kids can't."

Scout furrowed his brow as he pointed a finger at Sniper. "Hey! I ain't a kid! I'm twenty-three! You're not even that much older than me-"

"Nah mate, you're a kid," Sniper interrupted, taking another sip. "Difference is, I've seen things; Things you couldn't dream up even if ya' tried."

"I-I've seen things!" Scout insisted, voice cracking slightly as he visibly became more defensive. "Lotsa things! So-so many things in fact, you couldn't even count 'em all! Yeah! That's- that's how many things I've seen!"

The only thing that could be heard was the faint barking of a coyote, and the rustling of the gentle desert breeze through the sagebrush. Sniper wasn't saying anything, just staring at Scout with a deeply unimpressed look. He shook his head as he set the flask down on the boulder alongside his gun and ammo.

"Ain't callin' you dumb, lad," He lowered himself onto the boulder, knees spreading as he rested his elbows on his thighs. "I'm sayin', you're inexperienced. It's true, I ain't much older than you, but I didn't get the luxury o' bein' ignorant for long."

Scout's demeanor softened almost instantly. His shoulders drooped as he cast his gaze downward in thought. He bit his lip as he brought a hand to his neck, looking back up at the Sniper with a guilty expression. 

"I'm guessin'...that's why you hunt them?"

Sniper inhaled deeply, and nodded solemnly. "Yep. Been doin' it for a long time. And I ain't stoppin' till every single one of 'em is dead in the ground."

Scout swallowed thickly as the weight of Sniper's words settled in the air. He could feel the history in them, but it felt inappropriate to ask any further. Sniper stood back up, slinging his gun across his back by its strap before grabbing his ammo and flask. Scout stiffened where he stood as Sniper began to walk toward his van. He opened his mouth to call out to the Sniper, but was cut off as the door opened and closed behind him, leaving him out in the dusty fields. Alone. 

Scout wanted to stick his foot in his mouth. Engineer warned him he wasn't one for conversation. He was clearly a troubled man, and probably had a baggage list a mile long he probably wanted to bury, let alone talk about. Yet here Scout was, poking the bear with a stick to see if he'd dance. 

"Nice goin, Scout!" He grumbled, turning on his heel as he kicked up a cloud of dust. "You wanna make a new friend, get to know the cool ass vampire hunter, and what do you do? Insult him to his face. What a genius..."

Just as he was about to walk away, Sniper re-emerged from his van, sans the gun and flask. He stepped out, closing the door behind him before turning his attention to the Scout.

"Mind helpin' me with something?"

Scout's eyes widened. He felt the cloud of anxiety start to slowly disapate from his body as a subtle feeling of hope welled up inside his chest. "Uh, sure! What do you need me to do?"

Sniper gestured towards the field, where the corpses of many cardboard dummies lay in disarray.

"Need help cleanin up that mess. I don't want Engie gettin' on me about litterin' again."

Scout laughed. "Wow. You uh...made quite a mess."

Sniper nodded. "Yep. Hence why I need the help. Cmon," He began walking out into the field, gesturing for Scout to follow him. "Wanna get this cleaned up before the yotes start crawlin' out. They're annoying little buggers..."

Scout trailed behind him, practically bounding up to catch up with Sniper as the heavy feeling in his chest slowly began to lift. They worked in silence for a little while, picking up pieces of cardboard and the occaisional brass casing. It was...oddly peaceful. The air was rustic, and rich with the smell of sand and gunsmoke. While it was hot out, the setting sun felt more like a warm embrace than a suffocating haze. The gentle breeze kissed his cheeks, and the rustling of sagebrush and tumbleweeds was like a gentle melody that could lull one to sleep. Scout was beginning to see why Sniper preferred it out here than in the base. 

"There is something I wanted to talk about, though..." Scout broke the silence as he looked over at Sniper, who was picking up shell casings off the ground. 

"Well then," Sniper replied, rising to his feet. "Lets hear it."

Scout nodded, and cleared his throat.

"The other day...I heard you mention that I was uh.." He pursed his lips as he struggled to find the words. "A prime target? For vampires?"

Sniper's eyes softened. He felt a pang of guilt strike his stomach as he quickly looked away. He had said that, not thinkin about just how heavy that statement would sit in the boy's ears. He sighed, scrubbing his hand down his face as he tried to come up with some way to explain it without scaring the poor kid further.

"Listen, mate," He murmured gently, looking over at Scout with a sincerity that wasn't common for men like him. "I tend to get...worked up, when talkin' about vampires. I didn't mean to scare ya' like that."

"No, no! It's fine, seriously-" Scout quickly tried to reassure him as he lightly waved his hands, as if he could shoo the growing tension away. "I mean, I've seen worse. You ever taken a demo grenade to the face? Because lemme tell you brother- I was feeling that for days after respawn."

That little anecdote from Scout managed to break Sniper's sullen exterior as he laughed. "Alright, you've got me there. I'm just sayin'" He kicked his foot up against a rock formation behind him as he leaned against it. "I forget most don't know vampires as well as I do. Over time you forget to realize just how terrifying they really are to people who ain't even heard of 'em."

There was a brief silence between the two. Sniper looked to the right and out towards the horizon, watching the sun set behind the rocky bluffs out in the distance. It was beginning to paint the sky in a brilliant collage of orange and pink that any man would find beautiful, no matter how hard or rugged. He sighed as he turned his attention back to Scout. 

"It's true that youth and naivete tends to attract their kind, I won't lie," He explained, crossing his arms in frnt of his chest. "But you don't got anythin' to worry about. I've got this place locked tighter than a' drum; And that's on top of Engies security measures."

Sniper pushed himself off the rock, and began making his way over to Scout. His eyes tracked the Sniper's movements, watching as he came up beside him, and gently clapped a hand on his shoulder. 

"You'll be fine, lad. I promise."

The two worked in silence for a little more, leaving the area surrounding the camper almost as clean as it was when Sniper set up. Sniper thanked Scout for his help, and watched as the boy walked back to base for bed. While Sniper didn't consider himself the social type, he had to admit; Scout's company wasn't that bad. He was charming, and funny. He reminded Sniper a little of himself when he was younger. It was nice to see someone who wasn't already hardened by the harsh realities of this world, or driven mad by their own sadism and lust for violence. Sniper looked to the horizon one last time, listening to the breeze whistle through the surrounding brush before depositing of the scrap left over from his training session, retreating back inside his camper for bed. 

Chapter Text

Sniper really didn't want to be here.

He'd never been a fan of hospitals, or clinics, and especially not infirmaries. Medic's infirmary specifically. It was no secret that the doctor was a little...eccentric. If Sniper was honest with himself, he'd say he was downright homicidal, or at least had homicidal tendencies. Sniper watched the doctor from the gurney across the room, observing as he searched his cabinets for materials. He had requested a blood sample, why? Sniper didn't know. He just wanted to get this over with.

"Alright!" Medic exclaimed as he pulled out a needle. "This should be no problem. Phlebotomy is so simple, a child could do it."

Sniper crossed his arms in front of his stomach. "Right. What was this for again, doc?"

"Don't ask questions you won't be able to understand the answers to," Medic replied dryly, walking over to the hunter with a rubber tourniquet, and a small, empty vial. "If you want to survive the next battle, I recommend shutting your mouth and going through with the procedure, ja?"

There was a sickening snap as he watched Medic pull on his gloves. He did so with an enthusiasm a doctor should never display for extracting blood from their patients. Sniper wanted to turn tail and run, but he'd already agreed to the procedure. Medic crossed the room, standing to Sniper's left as he prepared. Sniper stiffened instinctively, before rolling his eyes as he stuck out his left arm. "Whatever you say, mate. If you don't find a vein within three pokes, I'm jabbin' that needle through your eye."

Medic huffed.  "Oh hush. You have deep veins, it's not my fault they like to hide from me. Now quit your whining and hold still."

Sniper shivered slightly once he felt Medic's gloved hands prod harshly against his arm, searching for a vein. It felt more like he was trying to jab through the skin and down to his bones, hoping to discover some kind of ancient secrets lying beneath the flesh. Once Medic found a good spot, he wrapped the rubber tourniquet around his bicep, pulled it tight, and tied it into a knot. Sniper grumbled as that familiar dull ache of circulation being cut off began to travel down to his hand. 

"Very nice," Medic mumbled, poking his arm once again to make sure he still had the right spot. "This is always my favorite part, hold still, would you, freund?"

Sniper felt his stomach ache as he watched Medic bring the needle up to his arm. It was thick, thicker than what should have been necessary for a routine blood draw. The stench of antiseptic and rubber made Sniper want to vomit, but alas, there was nothing he could do but watch as Medic slowly, ever so slowly, slid the needle beneath the skin and into his vein. There was a dull stinging sensation at the breach, eliciting a slight hiss from Sniper as his muscles tightened.

Medic chuckled, a teasing grin crossing his face. "Never took our feared Sniper for such a heulsuse," 

Sniper glared. "Quit hidin' behind German and insult me to my face,"

Medic exhaled a laugh. "It means crybaby, Dummkopf," He explained before turning his attention to the vial. He couldn't care less about Sniper's slight jabs right now. He was too invested in the sight of his blood slowly filling the vial. His eyes were shimmering, wide and awestruck like a child on Christmas morning, watching the slow crimson drip down like a man at a peep show. "It's very bright, good circulation! You would make such a good practice dummy, if you weren't so homicidal, of course."

Sniper's brow furrowed at that remark. He flinched slightly as Medic yanked out the needle, and quickly withdrew his arm before medic could even get the tourniquet off. "I'm a hunter, there's a difference," He snarled. "Vampires ain't innocent, I'm doin' the world a favor by puttin' em in the ground."

Medic wrapped a piece of labeling tape around the bottle, sliding a cork inside the top to keep it from spilling. "Ah yes, vampires. You're quite obsessed with them, aren't you?" Medic asked as he began to write something on the tape. "Have you ever considered capturing one alive?"

"The only good vampire," Sniper growled, "Is a dead one."

Medic shrugged. "Hm. Shame," He opened a fridge containing a dozen other samples of a myriad of bodily fluids, and popped Sniper's in with the rest. "They would be interesting to study. So similar! Yet so chemically different,"

Sniper felt his stomach turn at Medic's enthusiasm. Vampires were a blight, a plague to be eradicated. Hearing Medic talk about them as if they were a fascinating bird made Sniper want to clock him in the jaw. Medic, however, seemed oblivious to Sniper's discomfort as he continued his tangend.

"I want to figure out how their aging works specifically. It's said that they just, stop the moment they're turned, that they can live for decades, centuries even! If I can harness their power, I can turn myself into a god."

"Careful," Sniper chided, pointing a finger at the doctor. "Keep talking like that, and'll start thinkin' you wanna be one."

There was a brief silence. Medic only stared at Sniper for a moment, before tipping his head back and letting out a raucous laugh that bounced throughout the tiled walls of his infirmary. “Oh good heavens, no!” He exclaimed through a delighted grin. “I couldn’t do without mein pralinen!”

Sniper's hand was starting to ache. He looked over and saw that he never took the rubber band off. He grimaced as he ripped the tourniquet off of his arm. “The bloody hell are you on about?”

It was then that medic walked over to a cabinet above his medical supplies, and took out what seemed to be a small box. He opened the lid, and pulled out a small dark chocolate. He popped it in his mouth with a delighted grin. "Chocolates!” He exclaimed. “Ironic, ja? A doctor with a love for sweets! Would you like one for being such a good boy?" He teased as he extended the box forward. Upon inspection, they were in fact, just normal chocolates. Sniper still found himself declining the offer.

"Don't patronize me," He huffed. "When you treat stickin' your mates like a fun day at the park, you're not exactly gonna be the pinnacle of comfort, doc." 

Medic shrugged. "Hm. Suit yourself," He popped another chocolate in his mouth before sliding the box back into its little nook. "Although I would say, sweets are far healthier than somewhat highly illegal medical experiments on one’s self and their comrades, but ehh…semantics.”

Medic grabbed a piece of gauze and a bandage and began to wrap Sniper’s arm. Sniper squirmed at the contact, knowing the worst of it was over, but he just couldn’t handle Medic being so close.

"You mentioned vampires," He broke the silence. "What the bloody hell do sweets have anything to do with em?"

Medic raised a brow. “You’re a hunter, no?”

”Uh, yeah-?”

”Then you should know that vampires cannot eat normal food! Dummkopf!” Sniper didn't get a chance to get another word in as Medic lightly smacked the brim of his hat down. In one swift motion, he snipped the bandage off of its roll, wrapping it tight around Sniper’s arm so it would stick to itself. “They cannot stomach the taste of anything except for human flesh! As a professional, I would expect you to know such basic information! I’m disappointed in you.”

Sniper growled low in his chest as he adjusted his hat. Medic was such an arrogant prick, it made his arm hairs stand on end. “You wanna keep playing these games with me? Because I’ll promise you this, you’ll walk out bleedin’…”

Medic scoffed. “So dramatic," He reached over for a pen and clipboard, briefly turning his attention away from the Sniper. "I've forgotten Archimedes in Scout's chest cavity before, and even he had better manners than you."

"You're one to talk-"

"Anyways!" Medic interrupted again as he set the clipboard down. "This was all I needed from you. I may call you back into my office again for more samples, but I'll only need maybe another few milliliters or so- nothing lethal!"

"You know," Sniper interjected. "Most doctors don't have to make that distinction."

"Oh, I'm not a doctor," Medic said matter-of-factly, like that word wasn't a bombshell wrapped in fiberglass. "Well- not technically. I've had my medical license revoked. I accidentally misplaced someone's skeleton, you know how it is."

There was a pause. Sniper was staring at medic in abject horror.

"You wot-"

"Yes, yes! Skeleton! They're the trickiest little things. Now I have a lot to do-" Medic pulled Sniper off the gurney, causing the man to let out a brief exclamation of surprise as he found himself being hurriedly ushered out of his office. "It would be best if you leave me and my jars of blood alone. If you have any questions please drop by again, but I don't promise any answers-"

"Wait-" Sniper turned around to look the Medic in the eye. "You're hidin' somethin."

That didn't elicit the response Sniper expected. Medic didn't flinch, instead he only gave him the most deadpan, bored expression Sniper had ever seen on a person.

"Comrade," Medic's voice was calm, yet so clearly tired, as if he'd explained this a million times before. "I'm a mad, disgraced, german doctor who may or may not have sold their soul to the devil. I'm hiding so many things you would not be able to comprehend the list!" 

Before Sniper could get another word in, he found himself being shoved out the door to the infirmary yet again. "Now really- I must be getting back to work. You patients are so clingy! Now go kill lots of vampires or werebeasts or whatever it is you do when I can't be bothered to think about you- Auf Wiedersehen!"

And without another word, Medic quickly shut the door of the infirmary behind him, leaving Sniper standing outside in the hall like a dumbfounded idiot. Sniper looked around, bringing a hand to the back of his neck as he just stared at the door in a mixture of confusion and what the hell just happened?