CHARACTER MATCH: JABBER WONGER AND ZANKA NIJIKU FROM GACHIAKUTA
PLOT: jabber as a vampire is one thing but having zanka as a vampire hunter AND your partner is a whole different thing. Now, what happens when all those elements meet in one place?
NOTE: none for now love! Might be a little inactive though!
The crossbow in your grip felt heavier than usual, the tip of the bolt tracing an unstable, jagged circle in the air as you stared at the two people in front of you...or the two vampires in front of you
Your vision was in a frantic state of blur, darting across the shadows of the room as your heart hammered against your ribs like a trapped animal
The mission had been simple: kill Jabber wonger. Drag that manic, blood-sucking stain into the light and watch the sun turn his insanity into ash. But you weren't alone, though. You had Zanka
Vampire hunters never hunt alone, they go in teams with 2 people or more. Vampires are unpredictable formidable foes who's emotions and plans change faster than humans can comprehend
To avoid casualties, vampire hunters usually got paired up with each other. Whether it be a duo, trio or a full squad of vampire hunters, all that mattered most was their compatibility with each other in battle
And just like you and zanka, your compatibility went against the roof. Your fighting style complimented each other, moving in sync without meaning to and always landing strikes on the vampire at intervals before eventually taking it down. Together
Not to mention how you personality easily matches his, always there to encourage him even if it's a little harsh but that's the type of encouragement he needs to push himself forward and your always there to offer it
So of course the people at the top thought it would be a good idea to pair you and zanka together to take down jabber wonger, he had been nothing but a nuisance with all his wanted posters plastered everywhere
It was a good way to get you and zanka a whole load of cash, so you were enthusiastic in taking the job...maybe even more enthusiastic than zanka who looked more conflicted than anything
You’d planned for everything. Or, at least, you thought you had. Somewhere between the briefing and the hunt, confidence had curdled into a reckless ego
You and Zanka had begun to treat the most dangerous predator in the sectors like a game, your spirits soaring so high you’d forgotten that the higher you fly, the harder the fall
In all honesty, the reason why your ego in particular went through the roof was because you got to do some strategic planning with the person you're so not crushing on so of course with all the tension in the room you'd get a big ego boost
To you, Zanka was more than just a partner or a shield in the field. He was the one person who kept you grounded—the one you confessed your fears to, the one you leaned on when the world felt too dark
Maybe, in the quiet moments between hunts, he was someone you’d even started to love and that bond was supposed to make you untouchable
So, even when the devil himself appeared, clinging to the vertical walls with sharp claws, a grin plastered across his face that screamed pure, unadulterated madness...you and Zanka refused to flinch or back away
Oh and jabber didn't just fight; he performed. He mocked your stance, he toyed with your strikes as if he were a bored cat and you were particularly slow mice
Even amidst the lethal dance of silver and fangs, he never stopped the relentless, twisting flirtation that made boyh you and zanka's skin crawl
"Aha! You’ve got such a twisted way of thinking, don’t you?" Jabber’s voice echoed, dripping with a manic sort of glee as he dodged a arrow by a hair’s breadth "Such a weird, messy way to propose... but who am I to say no to a gift like this? I’ll take every bit of you, sweetheart—whether you offer it up or not!"
He moved like a glitch in reality, a blur of motion faster than your eyes could track. He had you stumbling, tripping over your own feet in your haste to keep him in your sight
Each time you fell, his laughter followed, a sharp, jagged sound that grated against your nerves
You made the mistake of blinking, just once. A split second of exhaustion, a momentary lapse in focus as you wiped the sweat from your brow.
In that heartbeat, the air went cold. The laughter stopped. You looked up, and Jabber was no longer in front of you. He was on Zanka
Zanka was already injured from their earlier tango do jabber lunging on zanka was nothing but the type of foul play you'd only see in boxing ring
So even with your injured hands, you reached out for zanka's spear and aimed it right at jabber's chest before swinging it with all your strength. Unfortunately, you missed but it was enough to get him away from the blonde
Instead of fear or anger to flash in his eyes, jabber simply beamed at you whilst zanka fell down to the floor. No more blood, no groans of pain or even anymore breathing coming from him
"I spy with my little eye..." jabber began, practically dancing circles around you and your partner "one hunter...ooh! And a vampire as well!"
"What did you do to him?!" You questioned, emotion mixing into your tone much more than you would've wanted and jabber noticed but he didn't just notice, he noticed and mocked you with a giggle
"What??? I ain't do nothin to him! I swear!" jabber dramatically gasped, clutching his chest as if your comment had physically wounded him which was impossible "matter of fact, i think you'll love the new changes more than you expect"
The silence that followed Jabber’s disappearance was worse than his laughter. He had vanished like a fever dream, leaving nothing but the lingering scent of copper and the permanent, jagged mark he’d carved into you and zanka's psyche
The trek back to the base was a grueling blur. You’d practically clawed your way through the underbrush, Zanka’s weight dead and heavy over your shoulder. He was eerily still—no breath hitched in his throat, no steady thrum of a heartbeat against your back
Even the jagged lacerations Jabber had dealt him had stopped their frantic bleeding, the crimson flow reduced to a sluggish, dark seep. He was a passenger in his own body, a ghost hitching a ride
"I can walk by myself, ya know?" Zanka’s voice tore through the quiet. It was rough, grating like gravel, before he shoved you away with a sudden, explosive strength that nearly sent you sprawling
"What the hell, Zanka? You’re half-dead!" you snapped, leveling an accusing finger at him. But he didn't flinch. He didn't offer that guilty, lopsided smile he usually gave when he was being stubborn
Instead, he stared at you—his pupils blown wide until his eyes were nothing but bottomless black pits, his lips parted in a silent, hungry snarl
It wasn't a tactical strike; it was the desperate pounce of a starving animal. Fangs you hadn't noticed before glinted in the moonlight, saliva slicking his chin
You were too exhausted to fight, barely managing to shove a thick fallen branch between your throat and his snapping jaws. The wood groaned under his pressure; it wouldn't hold for long
He looked ravenous. His nails—sharp, new talons—dug into your shoulders, drawing beads of blood that only seemed to drive him deeper into the frenzy
Your pleas were just noise to him, entering one ear and falling out the other as he let out a low, guttural growl that vibrated through your very bones
"Zanka!" you screamed, your voice cracking with a raw, jagged edge of betrayal
The sound seemed to shatter the trance. He gasped, his eyes clearing for a fraction of a second before he violently threw himself off you, scrambling backward into the dirt
"Get away from me. I can...i can hear ya blood moving, its driving me crazy" zanka panted out, tugging on his hair as he backed away from you
In that moment, looking at his terrified, trembling form, the truth settled in your gut like lead. Zanka was gone. This thing... this was Jabber’s masterpiece, his work
You’d tried so hard to fix it. You’d promised to bring him back, to hide his shame from the Guild, to be his keeper. You’d crossed lines you never thought you’d touch
butchering livestock to sate his thirst, knocking out innocent scouts who got too close, even executing other vampires with a cruelty that felt like a sin
You did it all because you believed Zanka would never turn those fangs on you. He didn't have the heart for it, even when nights he would beg for just a tiny taste
But now, standing between your partner and the demon who made him, your finger hovered over the trigger of your crossbow, trembling
You didn't know which monster to shoot. Zanka was looking at you with a gaze that was no longer human—it was predatory, obsessive, and terrifyingly focused
"C’mon, man... you can’t tell me you’ve never thought about it," Jabber chirped. He was perched casually atop Zanka’s hunched shoulders like a king on a throne, his eyes locked on yours "The feeling of your fangs sinking into that soft, warm skin? It’s going to be epic. She'll scream sure but that'll just make it more fun!"
"Zanka, don't listen to him!" you yelled, your vision blurring with tears of frustration.
"Everything you say is wrong, I'm not gonna waste my time listening to you" zanka spat, stubbornly standing his ground like you knew he always would yet you could see the hunger in his eyes
"Wouldya look at that? And it was willing to share sum with you!" Jabber mocked, letting out a loud cackle "guess I'll just have to drink her all up, by myself too"
Zanka didn't have any petty thing to say at that, no snappy comeback to use and retort back at jabber. All he did was to stare between the two of you like he had the hardest decision right infront of him
"If you want it, then take it"
You blinked, just for a heartbeat. It was the second time you’d made that fatal mistake. And when your eyes opened, the space beneath Jabber was empty. Zanka was gone.
"Look behind you, mamas," Jabber whispered, his grin audible in the dark.
You didn't even have the time to scream with the speed zanka used to clasp his palms on top of your lips, burying his face into the crook of your neck "If i bite you...what's the worst that could happen?"
