First fanfic update of 2025! Enjoy the chapter, it gets quite interesting. :)
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Gumball limped weakly into the bathroom, pajamas on and ready for bed. He had no idea why but he had started to feel really unwell in the morning, and it had only been getting worse as the day went on. It had gotten so bad that the feline had made the very rare and surprising decision to willingly go to bed early, hoping a good night's sleep might help him feel better.
As he stepped inside the room and reached for his toothbrush however, his attention was drawn to his reflection, or more accurately his lack thereof.
The feline let out a scream of surprise, dropping his brush into the sink below, the object clattering against the porcelain. For a moment, he stared at the empty reflection of the mirror, desperately hoping that maybe it was all just a trick of the head. He looked down at his paw, then back at the mirror, the fear of it all setting in. Slowly, he reached out to touch it, but there was nothing there to return the gesture. All that was visible were his clothes.
"Gumball are you okay?!" The door swung open, Darwin coming in with a look of worry in his eyes. "I heard you scream!"
Gumball's eyes remained locked on the mirror for a brief second, before he finally looked down into the sink, letting out a sigh as his paw dropped back onto the porcelain rim. "..I don't know anymore.."
The goldfish came over, facing his attention to what his brother had been looking at, beginning to frown. "Oh.. Right, vampire thingy.. Wait if you can't see your reflection, does that mean.. You can't see your face like.. Ever again?.."
He soon mentally face palmed himself, seeing the feline begin to tear up. Quickly, he gave him a hug, trying to calm him dowm. "O-Oh shoot I'm so sorry! I probably shouldn't have said that.. I'm.. I'm sure it's fine.. Maybe you can use the selfie thing on your phone? Hey, maybe you could still take photos too! And videos!"
"..What if I can't?.." Gumball's eyes trailed up to meet his, tears beginning to stream down his face. "..W-What if.. What if o-one of our stupid videos was.. The last thing w-we could ever make t-together?.."
The fish hugged him harder in response, hearing crying from his side. For a brief moment, there was a silence, until he finally broke it, letting go as he made his way out of the bathroom. "..Hold on, I'll be right back."
A few minutes went by, Gumball waiting nervously. He didn't dare look at the mirror again, not wanting to be reminded of his current problem. The cat soon turned, seeing Darwin finally come back in with a piece of paper, along with a pen and a piece of tape.
The goldfish placed the paper onto a flat surface nearby, scribbling on it before he finally taped it onto the mirror. It was a rather crude looking drawing of Gumball in his pajamas, holding his toothbrush as he gave a smile. "It's not.. Exactly the same.. But it works, right?"
Gumball hugged him, almost mimicking the smile from the drawing. "Thanks dude.."
Darwin smiled back, returning the embrace. He soon winced however, feeling as thought his ribs were being crushed. "...U-Um.. Gumball I-I can't breathe.."
The cat immediately let go, trembling as if he had nearly broken a glass vase. "S-Sorry I didn't mean to! I-I don't know what that was, I-I guess I was a bit overemotional..."
Darwin coughed, waving his fin nonchalant, letting out a brief chuckle. "..No it's okay, it's not your fault.. I walked into that one.."
Gumball couldn't help but snicker as well, the two erupting into a fit of giggles.
Later that night however, things weren't going to be so great.
Gumball laid in bed, tossing and turning, finding himself unable to sleep. Taking a glance over at the alarm clock, he saw it was midnight, which made him admittedly feel a little worse. He groaned in pain, sweat coating his fur as his head pounded. He felt worse than ever. It felt like his entire body was fighting to continue functioning, and he had no idea why, nor what he could do to ease the pain.
Hearing his stomach rumble, he glanced down. Maybe a snack will help me feel better..
With an immense effort he managed to swing himself out of bed, before quietly making his way downstairs and entering the kitchen. Spotting a bag of chips in a cabinet, he snatched them and opened the packet. His mind raced, as he sat down at the table, munching on his snack. He couldn't help but feel fear and concern at his current situation. However, once the bag was empty, he still didn't feel any better. In fact, he felt worse, as his stomach now grumbled in pain. Obviously it disagreed with his latest meal.
"What…What is happening to me?!" The cat quietly cried to himself, wanting nothing more than for his pain to end.
His gaze shifted around the room absentmindedly, the feline fading in and out of focus. Eventually they landed on the open window. "Maybe…maybe I just need some fresh air.."
Stumbling his way to the door, he went out into the backyard, letting out a slow exhale as he sat on the white wooden steps of the back door. He took deep breaths, focusing on trying to ease his symptoms, though this did nothing to help. Gumball snapped out of his thoughts however, as he suddenly heard a thump come from the nearby tree.
Curious, he rose to his feet and limped over to investigate. Not like he had much else to do. As he approached, a sweet, inviting smell caught his attention.
Lowering his gaze, he saw its source. A squirrel laid in the grass in front of him, twitching in pain as it let out periodic squeals. Blood coated the area around it. It was clear it had slipped and fallen from the tree branches above.
The cat stared at it, focused on the involuntary twitches of its limbs, the squeals of pain…the blood staining the grass around it…
It looked so…so delicious...so inviting…and the smell, oh my god the smell…it was heavenly…
Unbeknownst to him, as the sound of his heartbeat filled his head, his eyes transformed. The normal whites darkened until they were pitch black, with his pupils turning a blood red. Dark blue veins appeared underneath them, trailing downward as they slowly thinned out.
The feline began to breathe heavily, the heartbeat growing louder and faster as he slowly moved forward, crouching down so that his face was mere inches from the squirrel.
He grabbed it with his paws, studying it. The heartbeat was now overwhelming, drowning out any other sound around him. .
He stared intently at the open wounds of the squirrel. He grinned, fangs bared.
And then, unable to resist his temptations any longer, he sank his teeth deep into the flesh of his meal and devoured the delectable liquid within.
All of a sudden, almost like the simple flip of a switch, all of his pain and weakness began to melt away, his strength returning. Never in his life had he felt such relief.
Before he knew it he'd drained the squirrel completely, the limp, lifeless corpse left sat in his paws. Shaking, he released his grip and let the remains drop to the floor..
Trembling where he stood, Gumball grew horrified as he took in the situation before him, essentially having confirmed his fears for good.
His transformation was complete. He'd just performed the final step of becoming a vampire. He'd drank the blood of a poor defenseless squirrel…
…but he wasn't satisfied. He wanted more. He needed more.
The tree rustled, as noises could be heard inside it. Almost desperately, the feline began to climb up, and was greeted with a family of squirrels, nesting inside the wood. It was then he pounced.
Blood dripped from the tree, as he eagerly drained every last one of them, enjoying every last second of the feast before him. And what a glorious feast it was…
Gumball eventually climbed back down, holding the last of the animals in his paws as he finished downing the last of its red delicacy. His mind was internally freaking out, almost at war with himself, as he bit into it, enjoying every taste he felt.
He shouldn't be enjoying this as much as he was. He shouldn't be this calm and collected. He had literally just slaughtered an entire family of squirrels.
…so why didn't he care? Why was he so unphased? Why did this feel so…natural to him?
A squeal of fright came from behind him, interrupting his racing thoughts. The cat immediately turned, seeing Anais stood at the top of the back door's steps, sharing the same look of horror he'd displayed minutes before. This only grew once she got a good look at his eyes, the blood on his fangs that was also slightly smeared on his mouth, and the dead animal that resided in his hands. Worse than that was the very clear trail of blood coming from the tree behind him, similar bodies scattered all over the floor below..
Anais ran back into the house, terrified as she hid, trembling violently under the coffee table and hyperventilating like crazy. There was no denying the panic she felt at this moment, her mind all over the place. She sorta wished she had Daisy with her right now.
It's real it's real oh my god it's real he's a vampire the books were right he drinks blood h-he killed animals t-the creepy eyes oh god oh god what do I do what do I do what do I do-
Gumball dropped the limp squirrel, panicking himself as he hastily followed after her. Finding the young bunny nearly having a panic attack in the living room, he approached slowly and carefully. "A-Anais wait, calm down please i-it's ok-"
Anais let out a small scream, scampering out from under the table as she backed into the corner of the room. She could feel tears streaming down her face, as her body trembled horribly. "No, stay away from me! Please, d-don't hurt me.."
The feline was about to get closer, but hesitated, sensing something about him was continuing to freak her out. He couldn't tell what though, the television's screen not being very helpful thanks to his lack of image. That, and he had no idea of his eyes at the moment.
He tried to focus, to calm himself down somewhat before he attempted to calm her. Finally, his eyes changed back to normal as he bent down to her eye level, not wanting to loom over her. Admittedly, it hurt immensely seeing how frightened she was. "..A-Anais it's okay.. I'm okay now.."
She scooted farther back, eyes wide.
"N-No don't, it's okay.." He didn't make an effort to get any closer, keeping his voice as quiet and soothing as he could. There were still others sleeping after all. "I-It's just me.. I'm not gonna hurt you.. I promise.."
"..You're a…a vampire.. aren't you?.." Anais's rapid breathing was beginning to slow, as she looked at him with uncertainty.
"...I.." Gumball was just as uncomfortable as her, sitting on his knees. "...yeah."
"..You won't hurt me?.."
He shook his head. "I think those um.. squirrels satiated my appetite for now….."
Anais slowly scooted over, admittedly still pretty on edge seeing the traces of blood on his face and paws. It almost felt straight out of a horror film. "..This is really weird.. What are we going to do?.."
"..I don't know.. To be honest I just kinda wanna go to sleep.."
"What, now!? After what we've just found out!?" The young bunny stood up and grabbed him by the arm, keeping him from leaving. She soon paused however, letting go almost immediately. Admittedly she wasn't too keen on touching him at all right now. "I just caught you drinking blood from a squirrel. Several squirrels.. Do you really think you want to brush this off? This is serious.."
"..You're.. You're right.." Gumball let out a sigh, as he sat himself down on the couch, burying his face in his paws. His sister sat beside him, concern in her eyes. "This is all so messed up.."
"..How do you..feel about all this, exactly?.." She asked, slightly tilting her head.
"So far?" He turned to look at her, an uneasiness in his expression. "..Really scared.. Terrified even.. I-I don't know what came over me.. I-I smelled the blood I think?.. And.."
Gumball paused, recollecting the events. His claws dug into the sofa cushions. "It's like.. It's like something took over.."
"..Probably the vampire instincts.. They tend to kick in at the smell or sight of blood… Have you… Fed before…?"
"No…that was the first time.."
Anais could feel her worry grow bigger, as she felt.. Unsure of him at the moment. Was it even safe for her to be sitting near him right now? Though, a part of her knew this was still her brother. She couldn't just leave him to deal with this alone. "..What other symptoms have you had?.."
As Gumball hesitantly listed off the things he had experienced so far, the bunny mentally took note, her fears very much not comforted at the moment. If anything, this only made them worse. "..So you really are a vampire.. I guess my research was right.."
"You did.. research?" The cat raised an eyebrow.
"..Yeah.." She shuffled in her place, uncomfortable. "I.. wanted to be careful. I… even looked up how to…weaken and kill vampires too… j-just in case..."
Gumball wasn't sure how to respond to such an answer, for a moment just sitting there in silence. It felt as if a fear was looming inside him. Were things going to get this bad, to the point of him needing to be hurt or…worse? Would he lose control?
Anais noticed this, quickly reassuring him. "D-Don't worry I-I won't hurt you.. Promise.. It was only in case things got out of hand.."
She soon teared up at the thought. "I wouldn't ever want to kill you.."
"..It's.. It's fine.. I think.. Maybe it won't be so bad?" He stared at the ground, letting out a miserable sigh. Tears began to form in his eyes. "Oh, who am I kidding? I-I'm freaking out Anais.. I-I get attacked by some ancient guy, and the next thing I know I'm suddenly this…thing! An undead freak! I died Anais! I died! And I-I don't know how but I came back as a freaking vampire a-and I can't even be in the sun anymore a-and.."
Gumball looked at her, crying as he hugged himself. "W-What am I gonna do?.. I-I can't just pretend everything's fine.. W-What am I gonna do when I need blood?.. W-Where am I even gonna get it?.. I.. I-I don't wanna hurt anyone… I-I don't wanna hurt any of you.."
Anais carefully scooted closer and hugged him. She could see how badly he was shaking at this point. "It's.. It's okay.. You probably won't hurt anyone.. You ate.. squirrels right? Maybe that means you can just take the blood of all the mice and squirrels that come through here…?"
"..I guess…" He hesitantly hugged her back, feeling slightly worse as he heard a slight squeak. "..Thanks Anais.. For.. For being here.. I-I really needed this talk with someone.."
"I can tell.." The young bunny replied, as the two soon let go from their embrace. She raised an eyebrow, seeing her brother's eyelids start to droop. "You okay?.."
He let out a small yawn, feeling tiredness set in. "..Yeah, it's just.. Feeling like I'm about to conk out.. You'd think being a vampire would make my sleep schedule all out of whack or something.."
"I guess you're a bit different, huh?.." Anais paused, thinking to herself for a moment. "I.. Guess we should probably sleep.. But…I don't know if I can after what I saw…"
"Anais.. I don't think it'll be any better sitting here thinking about it.. We talked, right? I just.. This is really freaky.." Gumball looked away, not really wanting to see the face she was giving him right now. "I don't think I really wanna be here all night getting reminded of all this junk.."
The bunny's gaze fell to the carpet. "Yeah.."
Gumball frowned at his sister's reaction, his heart hurting seeing her so scared and worked up. Sighing, he placed a claw under her chin, lifting her head up to look at him. He smiled. "Hey, It'll be okay, I promise. I know you're scared, probably just as much as I am, but we'll be fine. I'll be fine, I swear. I mean, what do I have to worry about when I've got a little expert here to help me through this whole thing, huh?"
"Hey, I am not little!" Anais complained, giving the feline an annoyed but playful glare.
"Yeah, you're right…" Gumball agreed with a nod, much to Anais' surprise. Though this quickly turned to annoyance and amusement as the feline suddenly snickered.
"...little is a huge understatement!"
"...Shut up!" The young rabbit playfully punched her brother's arm as he broke into a fit of laughter. Unable to stop herself she soon found herself joining in.
Even if he was a vampire now, he was still clearly the same Gumball she knew and loved. That was very clear to her. She smiled …maybe he was right. It'd take a bit of getting used to but…maybe things would be okay.
The two soon regained their composure and, with their late-night talk concluded, they quietly got up and began making their way back upstairs. After Gumball went and washed the blood off his mouth and paws, the two entered his and Darwin's bedroom. Anais froze, feeling a paw touch her shoulder.
"Anais?.."
"Yeah?.." She slowly took his hand off, subtly taking a step back. Even though most of her worries were gone, she wasn't too trusting just yet. She could still remember the sight in the back of her mind.. Those eyes.. All the blood.. She snapped out of her thoughts upon realizing she had been zoning out.
Gumball looked at her with a frown, sorrow in his eyes. "..I'm sorry for scaring you.."
"It's.. It's ok.. You didn't mean it.. You couldn't help it.." The young bunny gave her brother a quick hug "Just…promise me one thing?"
"What?" His brow raised curiously.
"Promise that you'll never feed on people. Ever."
He took her paws, giving them a squeeze as he flashed a stern but reassuring smile. "I promise."
"I mean it." Now it was her turn to flash a stern look. "People blood is off the menu. No matter what."
"No matter what." He nodded. The bunny hesitated a moment, staring into her brother's eyes. Upon seeing his expression, she relaxed a little. She could tell when he was being serious, and this was definitely one such instance.
"Thank you…" Relieved, she gave him one last hug before climbing up the bunk bed's ladder, and into her bed with a final "'Night, Gumball…"
"Night…" He smiled as he climbed into bed, though once he was sure she couldn't see, he let his face fall again.
The reassurement didn't comfort the feline one bit. For a moment he just laid there, staring at the bottom of the bunk above him. He knew he wouldn't forget what happened tonight, nor would his sister. What was he going to do? Despite what he'd told her, he was completely freaking out internally. There was only so much time before his parents would finally figure things out, and admittedly, he wasn't sure if he wanted them to know at this point, especially after tonight.
Would they react just like Anais? He wasn't sure.
As he began to slowly fall into sleep, one thought floated in his head. He really did mean his promise to his sister. He was going to stick to only small animals. No people. The last thing he wanted was someone else getting scared, or worse yet.. hurt.
Gumball turned to face the wall, closing his eyes. He didn't want to think about it anymore.