forum A Different Kind of Anti Villain (OxO with @Dayzed, MATURE)

Started September 24, 2023 by @Desvelarse pets

tune

Kohen had wasted no time in pulling Vaughn along with him to the pet store first, too eager to check up on the kittens- they could go to the arcade later, it wasn't going anywhere.
The kittens also weren't going anywhere but it was the number one priority on Kohen's list, so that's where they were going first he had decided.
As they walked, Kohen stole glances at the other, looking away quickly when he was about to be caught staring. It seemed to be a common thing, Kohen looking more and more visibly frustrated with himself every time he went to peak over at the other. It was a very odd behavior from Kohen, no one would really know what was going on in his head even if they asked.

Kohen did very well in hiding his attraction to the same sex. It was something he was deeply ashamed of and every time it crossed his mind he felt he might cry and want to crawl into a hole somewhere and die.
On top of that, he seemed very obviously nervous around Vaughn even if he didn't know the other was the serial killer from that night.

"You like cats?" He asked, knowing that he had seemed very excited to get going to the shop. "If you do you should get one, they're pretty nice companions" Kohen decided to break the silence. He knew the other didn't talk much but he was determined to have the guy gushing about something by the end of the day. He wanted to hear more about him, but he seemed oddly closed off in a way, very careful with his words and what he said.
Kohen could get that, but the rigidness was very off-putting even if Vaughn seemed mostly normal at first glance. Kohen just picked up on the subtler mannerisms and tone indicators, every slight shift telling him everything he needed to know- that or he was being just as equally paranoid around the guy. It was a very bad habit that Kohen didn't realize he had developed over the years. Always suspecting others.

Vaughn had noticed Kohen's glances, being fairly observant. He didn't miss much, which came in handy during his kills. He always had to be aware of his surroundings or else the tables could turn, and he could end up being the one killed. He was unsure what to think about the looks, though. There was no suspicion in his mind that Kohen was looking at him because of an attraction. His first thought was a paranoid one, thinking that somehow, Kohen was realizing who he was. It was delusional of him, considering Kohen wasn't running the other direction already, but it was something he couldn't help but think about.

When they arrived at the pet store, Vaughn seemed to lighten up a bit at the sight of the kittens. They were small and could probably fit comfortably in the palms of his hands. It made him wish that he could have some sort of normal life with a pet. He would easily get a cat over another animal like a dog or bird. Maybe a rabbit even, as he enjoyed those little creatures as well.

Kohen asked him about the cats, and he turned his attention away from them and over to the other man. "I do like cats, a lot," he hummed. Kohen didn't hold his attention for long before he was looking back at the small animals. "I would love to get one if I could, but I don't think I'm responsible enough to care for one. My living situation wouldn't work out either. My… landlord doesn't allow pets."

Vaughn thought of the story off the top of his head. He would say that he lived in a small home that was rented out to him by a landlord. The landlord didn't allow for pets or visitors, which he hoped would sound realistic. He could say it was undergoing renovations, so no one was allowed to come over for safety purposes. That was, if Kohen ever asked to come over to his place. He would insist on not going to his, considering what it was in reality. There would be no explanation to telling Kohen that he lived in the backroom of a gas station that had long since been deserted.

Having arrived at the small shop, Kohen watched as Vaughn played with the small animals. He stood there for about a minute, just watching the other guy, which seemed strange in itself but Kohen was trying to figure out what to do with the guy. How to keep approaching him.
I mean, he had already brought him out to the store to see the kittens, and by God did he seem to really enjoy it, a small smile tugging at his lips as he watched. Maybe that was it, watching the guy play with the kittens made Kohen's heart beat a little faster, loving it when someone was as big of a fan of them as he was.

At the mention of liking cats, a slight redness washed over Kohen's face, the words, for some reason, pulling a reaction from him. Guys who liked cats brought a bit more attraction to Kohen than those who didn't have an opinion on cats or preferred dogs over cats. There was something about a guy just co-existing with another being and not demanding too much of them. He didn't know what that said about him, but it probably said a lot.

"That's good…" He murmured, now looking down as he saw one of the kittens attempting to climb him, the kitten's nails digging into his jeans and onto his skin.
"Ow ow ow-" Kohen bent over quickly, trying to gently pry off the small animal that was "attacking" him.
The mother of the kittens who was also present did not seem to like Kohen handling her kittens and immediately pounced on him, Kohen losing his balance, having been caught off guard and falling on his ass. He hissed at the slight pain that caused him, now grabbing the mother cat from the back of her neck which had started attacking his face. Yet, during this whole interaction, Kohen's handle on the cats was gentle, not an ounce of unnecessary violence or roughness.

"Yeah…" He spoke again, having heard Vaughn's answers despite his dilemma. "Cats are nice," He said, even though now, he was actively bleeding from his face, two prominent scratch marks on his face from the claws that had come at him. "But your landlord is a hater, I mean, look at them, they're so soft," He said, now placing the bigger cat down which seemed to have calmed down, allowing Kohen to pet her even though there were slight jolts as if getting ready to attack Kohen again. And every time Kohen flinched, but glared at the cat as if not amused with her trying to scare him off.

"I didn't even do anything..!" He spoke with the cat even though she couldn't understand him. "Maybe keep your children under control and we won't have this problem!" He hissed, the cat now play fighting with Kohen's hand who was patting her over the mouth and trying not to get bit, the cat attempting to bite him, her front legs wrapped around his arm in an attempt to stop his movements so she could get a better angle on him.
A small sound seeming a lot like a muffled laugh left Kohen at the interaction. He looked over at Vaughn, seeming to have the time of his life.
"But you seem responsible enough to me- I mean, you even look responsible, very…" He thought for a second. "Serious and mature" He decided.

Vaughn was taken by surprise when Kohen fell back, hand having shot out to try and grab him. His eyes were a bit wide as he looked at the scratch marks on Kohen’s face. He appeared worried, despite having partially strangled the man a few nights prior. He had his reasons for doing that, so he didn’t consider them to be in the same ballpark of things. “Are you ok?” he asked, crouching down next to Kohen.

Now that he was crouched, Vaughn could properly interact with the kittens. A tiny tabby cat approached him first, jumping up onto his leg. He didn’t mind the tiny claws, the feeling barely noticed by him. It was far from the worst thing that he had felt throughout the years. He’d had bones broken, been stabbed, and even shot once. His body reflected that, the skin under his clothes being littered with scars.

“Yeah, my landlord is a hater,” Vaughn echoed back, the slang feeling a bit weird on his tongue. He shifted to be sitting properly, taking the kitten onto his lap. He carefully stroked the small animal, smile lingering. It batted at his thumb, and a soft bit of laughter escaped his lips.

Kohen called him serious and mature, and Vaughn hummed, pursing his lips. He was both of those things, but taking care of a living animal was something entirely different. It took time and dedication, which he was unable to promise due to his work. He could be gone for long periods of time and possibly be killed during it. The last thing he wanted was for that to happen and leave the little animal stuck alone with no one to care for it. “Thank you,” he started, finger scratching under the shin of the purring kitten. “I don’t know if I’d be able to take care of a living thing, though. That takes a lot of work.”

"Yeah'm fine" He muttered as he sat up, looking over at Vaughn as he crouched next to him. He gave him a mischievous smile, not having caught onto the attempt to catch him, but being curious as to why he seemed worried. As far as he knew, friends didn't act much that way- or well, his hadn't in the past.

The small kittens that surrounded Vaughn gave Kohen a sort of surprised look. The guy was being ambushed and he seemed totally fine with their pinching claws digging into his pants.

He stopped at hearing Vaughn repeat his same words, a near laugh escaping him. He didn't know why that seemed so amusing to him, maybe it had to do with the fact that Vaughn just simply did not seem like the type to talk that way. The way he carried himself seemed almost proper in a way, very serious as he had pointed out moments before.

"What about a test run?" Kohen questioned, wondering if that would even be something to consider. "Maybe you can have family members help you out when things get a bit tough?" He thought for a moment. He knew that would never work for him, but he didn't know what Vaughn's situation was.
"Do you still keep in touch with your mom and dad?" He asked, thinking that maybe starting with a conversation about family would help ease the other into opening up a bit more.

Vaughn watched the small tabby kitten as it batted at his fingers lightly. It was a bad idea coming to the pet shop, because now he wanted to take home a kitten. As much as he knew his lifestyle wasn’t suitable for one, the temptation was there. He had never been allowed to go to the pet store with his family because of the fact. He would beg his parents for a cat when they walked past the shop, and they would say no due to his fathers allergies. A memory of getting scolded by his father for being so upset about a ‘stupid little creature’ lingered in his mind.

Ah, the mention of family. That was a luxury Vaughn would never be able to afford. After his mother and sister had been killed, and his father was sent to prison, he would never have a proper family. None of the foster homes he was placed in fit. He always ended up back in the foster care system for one reason or another. Mostly by no fault of his own. They were usually unable to handle his mental health issues, but what did they expect with taking in such a deeply traumatized child? Did they not expect the antisocial behavior and paranoid personality? Maybe it was the constant need for therapy and medication? Either way, the closest thing he had to a family was currently rotting away in some prison cell.

“No, don’t keep in touch with any of my family. It’s just me,” Vaughn replied with a shake of his head, keeping his voice as steady as he could manage. He pet the kitten as it grew bored of playing with his hands and decided to curl up in his lap instead. It was growing more and more difficult by the second to not cave and take the tiny animal home with him. He’d never had a pet before. None of his foster homes had. Since he had shown so many antisocial personality traits, the social workers had been worried he may kill someone’s pet so they placed him in homes without them. He would never do such a thing, and always insisted he wouldn’t, but that was never enough to convince them.

Kohen sat on the ground, the mother of the kittens now snuggling up to him in his lap after she deemed him to not be a dangerous individual for her babies.

He absentmindedly stroked the cat as he tilted his head a bit at seeing Vaughn in deep thought, like his question had triggered him to go silent.

At his reply, Kohen gave a long hmmmm… as if wondering if Vaughn was going to elaborate on that, but when he didn't Kohen went back to looking around the shop.
"Touchy subject?" He asked, though his attention wasn't on Vaughn as he asked the question. His eyes looked up to a white highland lynx cat who was staring at him from the top of his perch. The cat was notorious for biting people unprovoked, giving people airplane ears when they tried to pet him, though Kohen had quickly figured out that it was mostly out of playful banter even if the cat did make others bleed. There was a sort of gentleness there with how vicious he could be which struck Kohen as strange.

Kohen didn't have it well off, maybe not as bad as Vaughn if he knew his story, but Kohen understood why someone would be hesitant to say anything about their family if they weren't exactly the doting kind. Normally, people would jump at the opportunity to talk about friends and family but Vaughn didn't have any of those characteristics which only made Kohen even more morbidly curious about the guy.
"Well, hey, that can't be all there is to you, right? You're killing me man, tell me things you like- or well, more about you. I mean, you like books? Questionably? And cats" He gestured to the small kitten he was currently playing with. "You don't mind slushies and are too nice- someone could mug you and you'd probably give up everything you have-" He paused. "Then accidentally thank them" He finished, shooting Vaughn a small grin as if poking a bit of fun at the guy's passive personality.

Kohen found passive personalities appealing. Not a lot of people had patience with him and the longest relationships he had, had been people who were highly empathetic and patient to him, very passive personalities. Unfortunately for them, Kohen was an untamable ball of rage that hurt people when he got hurt, so even those friends had left him too. It's not that Kohen resent it, but well. He resented it. It wasn't their fault, they had given Kohen several of chances over and over again, but Kohen kept blowing them not realizing that he should be trying to change for the better. In his mind, he hadn't done anything wrong, but that kind of thinking had started to shift recently.
"Ever done anything illegal?" He asked, wondering if someone like Vaughn, who seemed too quiet to get into trouble, would have had a bold side to him when he was younger, though, Kohen sincerely doubted it.

Calling Vaughn’s family life a ‘touchy subject’ was one hell of an understatement. His family life could easily be called a tragedy, something out of a drama film. Though he wasn’t the sad protagonist trying to find a second family. He was a killer that had murdered about twenty men, and counting. He wished it was as easy as it looked in the movies to cope without having a healthy or proper family, but life was cruel and ruthless- at least it had been to him.

“Wouldn’t say touchy, just not much to elaborate on. Haven’t spoken to any of them since I turned 18,” He said with a shrug, counting his foster families since it would be weird to say he hadn’t spoken to them since he was a preteen. He had never visited his father. He knew it would end in a breakdown and him probably ending up in a cell himself. He had gotten letters, letters that he had never opened and had thrown away because he didn’t even care to hear what the man had to say. There was nothing he could say that would make things better. “What about you? You have family?”

The kitten was curled up on his lap, purring as it slept. He continued to pet it gently, like he was afraid if he touched too firmly it would be hurt. “I wouldn’t say I’m too nice, I wouldn’t go that far. Not with the mugging scenario, at least. I’m just… polite, I guess is the right word. I don’t see a reason to be rash,” he said, tilting his head to look down at Kohen. He would indulge the other man a bit. “My favorite color is green. My favorite animal is probably a great white shark. I’m a fan of the outdoors. Is that enough?”

Vaughn’s lips pursed when asked about if he had done anything illegal. “Yeah, killed a couple guys,” he said in a sarcastic tone, chuckling a bit and playing it off as a bad joke. “Not really, unless you count getting in trouble high school.”

He sat back a bit, content with his spot on the floor. He would be stuck until the cat decided to get off of him, as he didn’t have the heart to move it. “My turn. What’s up with your neck?” he asked, nodding in Kohen’s direction. He was referring to the bruises he had left a couple of days prior. He was curious to see what Kohen would come up with to explain them away.

Kohen didn't say much else to Vaughn's reply. Pushing for a "better" reply, or even more information was not a good idea. Kohen himself liked to keep some things under wraps, he wouldn't be surprised if it was the same way with this guy- they had just met.

"Right, of course," Kohen looked at Vaughn from the corner of his eyes at his question. "And yeah, I do, more or less. Mother died when I was young but I live with my father, no sibling" That I know of. Kohen's answer was just as simple as Vaughn's but there was a forced neutrality there, an attempt to keep things short. He didn't want to seem overly emotional about it or overly cold either. Both would give away something was wrong- either with his family or with him.

"They were good people" He continued. Kohen had a bad habit of talking in the past tense about his family as if his father was already deceased, he wasn't, but there was nothing Kohen wanted more. It was fair to note that Kohen also didn't know he had this habit, no one had ever pointed it out, chalking it up to Kohen's oddness at times.

Kohen's lips curled into a teasing smile at Vaughn's words about the mugging.
"Yeah, yeah, no, definitely polite, I get that" He spoke, though, the look on his face told Vaughn he only partially believed that.

"You've never been on a date before have you?" Kohen set his chin in the palm of his hand as soon as Vaughn had finished talking about his favorite everything's. He gave an exasperated sigh, a smile still on his face knowing that Vaughn was humoring him.
"You're terrible at this you know" Kohen commented on Vaughn's list of his favorite things. "I mean, those are all very very fascinating things, earth-shattering even," Kohen continued. "But maybe sound more alive? You know, a little less sale's pitchy?" He questioned, wondering if that was possible for this guy.
Kohen actually didn't have a problem with the way Vaughn chose to say things, he thought it was all very charming in its own way, but Kohen wanted something a little more. He wasn't sure what that was yet, but that was the only thing he knew.

A giant smile cracked on Kohen's face at the bad joke, a small sound leaving him that was similar to a repressed laugh.
"That's interesting" Kohen hummed, wondering what Vaughn had been like in school.
When Vaughn suddenly took the reins from Kohen, however, his breath caught in his throat at the question. That had completely caught him off guard.
"So you can keep up" Kohen turned to him slightly a halfhearted smile on his face, it having dropped a little. "But I was right" Kohen turned it around onto Vaughn. "You've really never been on a date huh? Or better yet, made it past a date?" He questioned. "Though, surely you know what hickeys are?" Kohen gave the other a slanted smile, thinking fast. It was almost abnormal the way Kohen was able to lie on the spot and make it seem natural- like he did it all the time.

His excuse was such a bold lie though, one that wouldn't have held up if the bruises hadn't been as faded as they were, but Kohen was good at taking calculated risks. He had been doing it for what felt like forever.
"You want details?" Kohen pressed, hoping Vaughn would drop the subject. He also hoped he didn't have to make up an imaginary girlfriend either- he wouldn't even know where to start with that one.

Vaughn certainly did pick up on the way that Kohen talked about his family in the past tense. He had said his father was still alive, yet was talking about him as if he had passed. It was so noticeable because he would speak about his own father in the same way. The man was as good as dead to him, so it made sense. It gave him a bit of a hint as to how Kohen’s relationship with his father might have really been. He wouldn’t pry at the moment, though, as he had better things to think about.

He made a small noise of disbelief at Kohen’s direct question about him not having gone on dates before. He had been on dates throughout his life. They never amounted to anything serious, but they still counted. Since he started killing, dating has become almost a nonexistent to him. He found it pointless- they would discover he was a serial killer and run the other way, and turn him in. While Kohen wasn’t wrong, he didn’t have to be so direct about it. He was about to argue about it when Kohen talked about his tone of voice. “I mean, it’s just small talk. Nothing I’m really passionate about, so I can’t get too exited.”

What were his passions? Killing was one, that was a given. Helping people could count as a second one. What was he actually passionate about outside of that?

Vaughn gave Kohen almost an annoyed look as he brought up the date thing again. He wanted to laugh when Kohen said they were hickies. It was vivid in his mind, the memory of his hands closing right around Kohen’s neck that night. He glanced down at his hands, then Kohen’s neck, remembering how fragile he had felt. He could have snapped his neck in that moment with ease if he really had wanted to- but he didn’t. Kohen had cheated death that night, Vaughn’s own morals helping to save him that night.

“I know what hickies are,” he started, shaking his head. “You’re right, haven’t been on many dates. Hookups? Yes, I’ve had those with men and women. But I wouldn’t call those dates by any means.” He mentioned sleeping with men and women casually. He was attractive in his own way, appealing to those who liked the mysterious and brooding type of man. He stuck out like a sore thumb in bars that he went to. While he didn’t go to hook up with people, if someone attractive approached him- and if he was drunk enough- he would go back to their place. Alternatively, he wasn’t ashamed about liking men as well as women. He didn’t care to keep it hidden, considering how many other things he had to hide instead.

One of his brows raised as he sat back a bit, eyeing Kohen closely. “Go on, I’m waiting to hear those details,” he encouraged, amused to hear what Kohen would come up with.

Kohen narrowed his eyes at Vaughn.
"Can't or won't?" He asked, wondering if Vaughn was holding back for some reason. The guy was overall quiet and did seem very polite, but some part of Kohen felt there was a wall there and he couldn't seem to get the guy to let his guard down once. Kohen was usually good at talking to others but had found it incredibly difficult to keep a conversation going with Vaughn….
At first anyway. Right now, it seemed to be going well, even if he had mildly irritated the man.
"But yeah, you know what, you're right" He held his hands up defensively. "Just small talk, I guess nothing to be excited over…" He spoke, now feeling self-conscious and wondering if he had seemed too overly excited when he talked.

Kohen ran a hand over the fading bruises, the smile completely wiped off his face and into something more serious.
When Vaughn mentioned being with both men and women, Kohen tried his best to keep his composure, trying to play it cool.

"Oh wow, you're busy then.." Kohen muttered, giving him a small nervous laugh. He made it a point to focus his attention on Vaughn's face and not….anywhere else. The guy's face, however, Kohen had decided early on, was very attractive to him and it was hard to keep his thoughts straight. Especially with the topic at hand. The cherry on the top? Kohen was the one who had never dated more than once in his life and sex? He had no experience with that.
But Kohen liked to talk a big game and make himself seem more of something that he wasn't.

It didn't take long for Kohen to look away from the guy and frantically try to distract himself with one of the kittens that had made its way over towards him. Kohen's face was a light pinkish-red color, his ears a darker shade of red.
With Vaughn's encouragement however, Kohen's attention immediately snapped to the guy again, eyes growing a bit wide, now it wasn't just a faint blush on his face, it was very obvious that Vaughn had called his bluff- and yet Kohen opened his mouth to start talking.
"I-It was with my-" His words faltered. "It was at her….the house-" Kohen's eyes trialed over to Vaughn from the spot on the floor he had focused on, he seemed to be watching his every move. That made him tense up, not at all helping with his nerves- in fact, Kohen hadn't been this flustered in years.
"Is the staring necessary??" Kohen hissed, his attempt at being intimidating looking more like how a small animal would try to defend itself from a bigger animal, not really coming off as intimidating at all.
"We did it at her house okay?? I'm sure that's all the visual you need" He announced, even though the way his face was burning up from the embarrassment said something else. It looked and sounded like a lie, but Kohen would die on that hill, he wouldn't back down and embarrass himself further.

Vaughn's lips pursed as Kohen seemed to grow a bit more defensive about the topic of small talk. He hadn't meant to offend the other man with his lack of communication. He wasn't aware of how off-putting he could be at times. He was aware that his social skills weren't the best, and he wished that they could be better. His gaze shifted to the kitten on his lap as it stirred, and he gave it a small scratch on its head. Maybe he could afford to put in a bit more effort to be 'normal'. While he was trying to get a read on Kohen, he didn't exactly have any reason to be rude or standoffish.

"No, no you're right. I guess I could use to lighten up a bit, huh?" he said with a little laugh, scratching at the back of his neck. "Come on, what's your favorite animal? I want to know."

It became clear to Vaughn fairly quickly that Kohen was most likely a virgin. Not that it mattered in the slightest, but it was something that he noticed. The way that Kohen stuttered and grew red was enough of an indicator. He would give a bit of props to Kohen, though. It took a lot of guts to still try and lie through your teeth, even though it was horribly done. He wouldn't judge, though. He was the last person to be able to do so. He didn't pick up on the fact that Kohen may be blushing due to any sort of attraction, though. He couldn't usually pick up on someone's sexuality.

"Yeah, that's enough detail for me," Vaughn said, chuckling softly. He wouldn't press Kohen on the subject, seeing his clear discomfort. He had made the man squirm enough for the time being. "The lady fucked you up a bit, though. Looks like you got choked out."

He exhaled sharply, tilting his head to look over at Kohen. "This was a bad idea- coming here. Now I want to take a kitten home with me," he said, reaching out with a free hand to pat another kitten. He made tutting noises at it, smiling softly as it meowed loudly. "I'm fully blaming you for this."

"Maybe only a bit" Kohen mused. He didn't mind the oddness of Vaughn, but felt that maybe the guy needed to do more exciting things- I mean, how did anyone ever get by life without at least trying to explore all the things it had to offer? Reading books and visiting coffee shops were all nice things, yes, he did the former himself quite a lot, but what about adrenaline-inducing activities? Maybe running from the law was a bit much as a first-time thing to introduce to someone but a close second could always be an escape room, those were always intriguing- or even better, a sudden road trip! Not that he had anywhere in mind…
A road trip sounded a little like running away, if only temporarily, and it was a very appealing idea to him.
"Bats," Kohen said smiling. "I mean have you ever held one of those little fucks??" Kohen said, getting a bit worked up at the thought of holding one again. "They're so small and soft and sometimes they'll hiss at you because they want you to back off even though you're literally holding them but they're so tiny that their hisses are laughable" There was a giant smile on Kohen's face now as he rambled on about bats as if he knew from personal experience.

The more embarrassed expression turned into a warm smile from Kohen as Vaughn dropped the subject. He, however, thought he had done an excellent job at convincing the other he was not a virgin, which was a bit funny in hindsight.
Even though the embarrassment had passed, there was still a slight dusting of pink on his face when Vaughn mentioned that it looked like he had been choked out. Well, that wasn't far from the truth, and they both knew it.
"You know, strangely I don't mind it" He commented, there was a somber look on his expression, a faint smile still there. "If I had been choked out, but I haven't so that does not apply here," He said rather stiffly. Kohen had fought his entire life to stay alive, it's all he knew how to do, he wasn't suicidal, but after his encounter that night he had given it a lot of thought, and had decided that if that night had been his last, maybe it would not have been so bad.
Still, he himself would not seek out death. There were still a lot of things he wanted to do and as impossible as it sounded for him, he wanted to experience love.
Actual love. Not some twisted form of it.

Kohen looked over at Vaughn as he messed with the kitten.
"Well, hey, maybe if you do adopt it and it turns out you can't take care of it, you could always give it to me, and uhm, maybe if it turns out I also can't take care of it, we could always bring it back to its mom" He gave Vaughn an encouraging smile.
"There will be no consequences and no one gets hurt- unless it gets attached to you" Kohen let out a soft laugh. "In which case you're trapped" He teased.

If Kohen had mentioned Vaughn needing to do more adrenaline-inducing activities, he probably would have laughed. Killing another human being was the most exhilarating thing in the world. Knowing the fate of another persons life was in his hands really got him going. The struggle of it all, having to fight and beat them into submission, was very appealing. Watching the life drain from their eyes, knowing that it was him that caused it. It was fucking addictive. He itched for it, like an addict craving their next fix. He didn’t seem to know how to stop, though he didn’t really want to.

A smile lingered on Vaughn’s lips as Kohen rambled on about bats. It was a bit endearing watching the man latch onto a subject he was interested in and run with it. Not having experienced holding a bat or really coming close to one in general before, he shook his head. “I’m guessing you’ve held one before?” he asked, content to let Kohen keep filling the silence. He was happy to sit and listen for the most part.

Vaughn wondered if he put his hands around Kohen’s neck would the bruises match up with his hands? Would his fingers fit perfectly in place with their spots on the skin? He knew that he couldn’t, but the temptation was surely there.

Now there was a decision to make. Should he take the kitten or not? He wanted it, but it was selfish of him. He didn’t have the time to take care of it, nor a proper home. There were a million things it could get into at the gas station that would leave it sick or injured. It didn’t seem right to bring a kitten into such an unstable and unreliable environment. It wasn’t fair to the kitten. “I shouldn’t, I can’t,” he said with a huff, looking away from Kohen and down at the kitten. It had woken up but still stayed in his lap.

Kohen didn't much know about how certain serial killers worked. He knew that on some level they liked what they did and were mostly likely cracked in the head but they didn't show much of people like that to the public. Kohen, however, had seen a lot of them- or the few caught anyway, face to face due to his father's work. But despite this, there wasn't a huge understanding there- or even that maybe some of these people suffered from a more underlying mental illness and had never gotten treated for those problems properly.

Kohen paused at Vaughn's question, his already giant smile becoming wider in an almost sinister expression.
"My house has an attic we never use, there's a lot of boxes up there but we never bother to clean it out. There are also holes on the side of the roof where animals sometimes crawl in through for shelter either at night or from the rain- well, I went up there one time and found a hissing bat on the ground. I'm not sure what happened but its wing was slightly torn." He stopped talking for a second to eye Vaughn suspiciously. "And before you try to lecture me about rabies, I know- but tell me you wouldn't pet a shark if you got the chance- yeah, that's right, that's what I thought," He said stubbornly, not even letting Vaughn answer the question.

"But uhm, to answer your question, yes, yes I've held a bat before- multiple times actually…" He muttered at the end, now trying to count on his fingers how many encounters he had with the small creatures. He couldn't remember all of them, but it had been a lot.

He stopped counting his fingers when Vaughn shot down his idea. A small sympathetic half smile on his face.
"That's alright, if you feel like you can't do it, then no pressure, but they'll always be here until someone adopts them" he attempted to reassure Vaughn.
"You wanna stay here for a bit longer or hit the arcade?" He questioned, wondering if Vaughn would want a change of scenery so he wasn't thinking about the kittens too much.

Vaughn hadn't planned on lecturing Kohen about the possibility of messing with an animal that had rabies, but now the thought was on his mind. He wondered if Kohen always put himself in possibly very dangerous situations. Between that and showing up at that house that night, it seemed to him like Kohen just did things. Though, he had no way of knowing why Kohen had shown up there. There would ultimately be no way for him to figure that out without essentially screaming 'Hey, I'm the killer!'

"Oh, I totally would pet one. When I was a kid, my family went to the aquarium, and they had those touch tanks with little sharks in them. I stayed there for quite a while," he hummed. He would have stayed there the entire time if his father hadn't snapped at him to get moving.

The kitten that had been in his lap got up, stretching dramatically before climbing off of him to go play with one of its siblings. It allowed Vaughn to feel less guilty now about having to get up and leave when it wasn't clinging to him. "That's cool that you have gotten to hold bats- despite the rabies," he said, scratching at the back of his neck for a moment. He thought about how Kohen said he should lighten up a bit. Was he able to do a friendly gesture? In a moment of hesitance, his hand reached out to ruffle Kohen's ginger locks before quickly retracting. He thought it was a normal thing to do, given his severe lack of social skills. He didn't think about it being weird or too intimate to touch someone on the head.

Now that his lap was free, he was able to stand up and stretch his legs a bit. Sitting for such a long time had made him feel a bit sore. His body was still a bit bruised up under his clothes, and getting stiff from sitting awkwardly for so long made him ache. Figure hissed from somewhere nearby, "What do you think you're doing, Finley?' It was asking about how he had touched Kohen. He wanted to explain himself to it but couldn't at the moment, so he ignored it for the time being. He could suffer any consequences at a later time. "Yeah, let's go to the arcade now," he agreed, waiting for Kohen to get up before they were able to leave.

Kohen hummed lightly at the thought of going to an aquarium. He hadn't ever been to one- well. He hadn't been to a lot of places like those. Aquariums, zoos, museums, planetariums, etc. He often found himself in shady places messing around with friends, or used to that was.

He still found himself going to shady places with no influence from anyone else but of his own volition…his and his father's mainly.

"Aquariums sound alright, never been. Kind of sounds like a zoo experience" He thought to himself, even though he had no idea what that was like. It didn't matter, he had seen enough movies to get a good idea, and by his conclusion, it all sounded pretty boring. Or well, boring wasn't quite the right word, but it was along those lines.

"Considering we have a lot of them and my father doesn't like the noises they make at night, I'd say it's a win-win. I get some quality time with a few dozen bats and my father gets to sleep." He shrugged lightly.

Kohen had still been lost in thought, thinking about the aquariums and zoos, a sort of confused frown on his face as he tried to picture it- more like picturing himself there. He couldn't do it. He looked over at Vaughn just in time to catch him reaching out. A lot of things raced through Kohen's head at the action, but instead of panicking this time, he froze, his heart skipping a beat as his shoulders tensed and eyes widened at the gesture.

It wasn't until after the fact that a deep redness settled on his face, his brain short-circuiting for a second as it tried to figure out why Vaughn had just done that.
When the brief moment of having a heart attack passed, a strange warmness spread across his chest. It was an odd feeling, one that felt like his heart was expanding but knowing that was impossible…
Right?

Kohen was on the opposite end of that mentality. For him, any type of touch or affection shown was indeed very intimate and meant that you were very close to said person. He had just met Vaughn and he didn't know any person who would warm up so quickly to another person- or maybe that was just him. He wasn't one to be so touchy with others and to this day hadn't met anyone like that either.
He gave Vaughn a shaky grin, one that told he was only slightly shaken up by the touch. It wasn't that he hated it, in fact, he was trying his best to keep himself together from melting, but he wasn't used to it either, and it felt like a shock to his system.
"What? I'm a cat now?" He snickered, gently poking fun at the guy before giving a sharp half-nod at Vaughn's words and getting up. He waited a second longer, his eyes still on the kittens before he started towards the door with Vaughn.

Finding out that Kohen had never been to an aquarium made Vaughn wonder what Kohen’s childhood had been like. He didn’t have the best childhood, but he had still gone to the zoo and aquarium. Was Kohen’s childhood a happy one or something similar to his own? That seemed like way too personal of a question to ask someone he didn’t know too well.

The startled expression on Kohen’s face made him almost immediately regret patting Kohen’s head. Was that not a normal thing to do? Growing up at home and in the foster care system, adults would ruffle his hair every once in a while. He had grown to like it, much like a cat, as Kohen would say. In general, Vaughn loved having his hair messed with. He would take any of it- petting, ruffling, pulling- he loved it.

“Ah- no, not a cat,” he quickly stammered out, holding his hands up a bit, “I… don’t know.”

It was just another clear sign that he really needed to brush up on his social skills. He should be thanking Kohen, really. Kohen was putting up with his awkward words and interactions, being much more patient than he would expect the average person to be.

His hands quickly stuffed into the pockets of his sweats, hiding away as a reminder to not touch unless told. Both times he had put his hands on Kohen were proving to be not positive- in his eyes, at least. From the choking to the head patting, he couldn’t read whether or not Kohen enjoyed the contact. Well, one was much more clear than the other. He wished he was able to get into Kohen’s head to know exactly what he thought.

When leaving, Vaughn held the door open for Kohen. Manners were important to him. His mother had always taught him to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, and her influence caused him as a child to run ahead of the family to open the doors for them. The idea of manners had only been hammered into his mind further when in the foster care system. After all, no one wanted to take in a kid with bad manners. He had to be polite to attract possible foster families.

At Vaughn's stammering, Kohen's grin grew larger. The guy really seemed to be like a mess to Kohen, but Kohen didn't mind it, he would much rather hang out with the mess of a guy than someone polished or overbearing.

Kohen nudged Vaughn with his elbow, a bit of the ice having been broken in the past hour as they talked and got to know each other. Kohen had concluded that they both were a bit rough around the edges personality-wise. Vaughn seemed to be on the softer side of things, but there was an edge there that hadn't been lost on Kohen. The guy may not have had any social skills and seemed constantly confused like a lost puppy, but he could be bold and even a bit intimidating if he tried.

A soft sound came from Kohen, almost sounding like a laugh but not quite as he seemed to get a little closer to Vaughn, not minding closing the space between them even though Kohen was generally anxious about getting too close to anyone.
"I'm messing with you, I don't mind. 's not like I completely hated it, or else I would probably be trying to fist-fight you" He mused.

As they left and Vaughn held the door open for him, a slight wave of heat made its way to his face. It's not like Kohen had a problem with it, but for some reason the action made him feel embarrassed? Maybe he should have been the one to hold the door for Vaughn but it hadn't crossed his mind- he hadn't needed to think about anyone else for a while now so he only did things for himself.
That probably had to change soon if this would be a common occurrence, though, Kohen's heart sank at the thought of this being a one-time thing. Maybe he wouldn't see Vaughn after this if the guy decided not to keep up with him, which seemed to be a common theme with Kohen's friends, or people who he had tried to be friends with.

"Oh- uhm, thanks.." Kohen had muttered as he made his way through and waited a second for the other.

It was around five days after Vaughn had last seen Kohen. They had gone to the arcade and chatted for a while that day. The time had actually been enjoyable. Despite being socially awkward, Kohen had started to push and claw at his mental walls that he had placed up. While he didn't get too comfortable, he had grown a bit less stoic. He had smiled a couple of times, even genuinely laughed once or twice. He couldn't remember the last time that another person had made him really laugh. The laughter hadn't been anything too lively, but Kohen had pulled a couple of chuckles from the closed off man. That was an achievement in itself.

The memories had been on Vaughn's mind the rest of the week as he found a new hit. He had met with a woman and her toddler child; both having been bruised up when he first came in contact with them. Her fiancé had been beating on them for quite a while now, but that would soon be over. The woman had given him a rundown of the layout of the home, along with the man's schedule. After a bit of planning, he decided to do it on a weekend night when he knew the man should be coming home from the bar. He set the woman and her child up in a hotel room before heading to do what he needed to do at the home.

Vaughn let himself into the home an hour before the man was scheduled to arrive back. Figure instructed him to kill the man with a hatchet, and he had groaned about it quite a bit. Hatchets were awkward and the strikes were easy to see coming. That, along with them easily getting stuck in things, made it not his ideal weapon of choice. Still, he went along with what Figure wanted, not daring to disobey. The consequences would be severe, after all, if he did.

He laid in wait for the time being, mask pulled up to cover his face. He hung around a corner, easily being able to jump out and take the man with surprise if he entered through the front door. Eventually, the front door opened, and he waited for a moment, holding his breath as he gripped the handle of the hatchet. His knuckles were white, showing just how tense he was in the situation.

Kohen rubbed at his temples as he tried to get the image of Vaughn smiling and laughing at his pitiful jokes out of his head. He was currently at the laundromat flipping through a magazine as he watched a few people trickle in and out. It was mostly empty at this time since it was late into the evening. Closing time was in an hour and Kohen grew impatient as he took out a binder from his bookbag that was by his side. It wasn't for work or school-related activities and if someone caught him redhanded with it, they would seriously question if Kohen was right in the head.
He glanced around to make sure no one would be sneaking up on him before he opened it.
Once opened, his eyes immediately gravitated toward the picture of a body lying in a pool of blood. Kohen may or may not have snuck a few pictures from crime scenes his father was working on from his office. He was allowed to go in with him sometimes and his father was careless with Kohen when it came to the police station, thinking that Kohen wouldn't be bold enough to pull something like this.
Well, he was, and clearly his father didn't know him well enough.

Kohen had made a few connections between the killings but it wasn't anything that hadn't been figured out already. Being a detective wasn't on his list of things to do while being a full-time student and part-time laundromat worker, yet here he was, a bit of excitement filling him at the thought that he might be able to catch who this was.
Ever since that night with that killer that had almost killed him, he had been mildly obsessed.
…
Maybe mildly was a bit of an understatement since he had a whole binder documenting his killings and certain victims around the area where he usually worked that could be potential targets.

Kohen's father maybe hadn't expected much of him but Kohen certainly had a knack for picking out the smallest of details, so it wasn't a surprise when Kohen's eyes lit up as he remembered the fact that the killer had taken a picture of him beside the body. Nobody knew about that small fact but him. It was especially helpful that Kohen had seen what type of phone it was. There was a lot he could do with that information but he needed clearance- access to certain places outside of the police station that he wasn't sure he could get into without thinking of a really creative way to gain access to them.

Still, it was another lead.
He had a main one, but it would take a lot of skating, running, and careful checking.
Kohen had jotted down the addresses of a few victims he thought the killer might be targeting. There were about ten of them on his list. There were more of course, in fact, Kohen had been appalled at seeing how many more there were, but he hadn't written those down, only the most likely ones.

So when the hour was up and Kohen was relieved of his part-time, he nearly slammed the binder closed, shoving it into his backpack, nearly racing to the door. He locked up the establishment and hauled his bag onto his shoulder. There was going to be a lot of cardio exercise for him tonight as he checked each address, some farther away from the others, but Kohen was determined.
If he hit a dead end this time, he would try again tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, and so on. He didn't know the killer's schedule, which was why this was about to be his nightly routine.
Kohen wasn't too worried about his father finding out either, he could easily make up the lie that he had gone out running to stay in shape, maybe change things up a little. It wouldn't exactly be a lie either, he was doing some running, maybe not to stay in shape but it was close enough.

Once he was out in the street, he threw his skateboard on the ground and hit the pavement, now dashing down the sidewalk. It had been quite some time since he had done this and he had forgotten how fun it was. His old skateboard retired and replaced with the one underneath him that he had bought recently.

Everything went exactly according to how it was supposed to. The man was a prominent figure in the community, being the pastor at a local church. He wondered what the congregants would think if they knew that their pastor was beating his wife and child in his free time, or about his drinking problem. It had made him scoff when he found out about what the man did for a living. A holy and godly man, a messenger for their god. It was an absolute joke. If god even was real, then why did he allow for people like him to walk the earth and do what they did? If he was real, then Vaughn surely had to be some sort of angel sent down to take care of those sinners and purge them from the Earth.

The preacher arrived home, walking through the door. Well, walking was not the word to describe it. It was more like stumbling, the man clearly being blackout drunk. The man was so drunk that he walked further into his home without closing the door. Vaughn was unaware of that as he jumped out in front of the man, swinging the hatchet and striking the man in the shoulder with it. The man screamed, the sound surely echoing throughout the neighborhood due to the open door.

Vaughn, now noticing the open door, cursed under his breath. The cops would surely be called much quicker as the struggle could be heard much easier. He ripped the hatchet out of the man’s shoulder with a sickening squelch, the man stumbling and falling backwards. The drunk man, seeming to have sobered up a bit due to the adrenaline rush, scrambled to his feet and ran straight for the door. Vaughn’s eyes widened, and he pursued the older man, close on his heels.

The man got out on the front porch before Vaughn struck him again. He had thrown the light hatchet, it hitting the man in the back of one of his calves. The man cried out again, tumbling down to the front lawn. The man struggling, sobbing and pleading as he did his best to drag himself away from the approaching killer. Only now did the preacher truly call out to his god, making Vaughn laugh. How hypocritical.

Now tired of the games, Vaughn reached down, grabbing onto one of the man’s ankles with one hand and ripping the hatchet free with the other. A blood curdling scream echoed through the air as Vaughn drug him by his leg back to the house. That was where the man beat his family, and that was exactly where he would take his final breaths. The man struggled, clawing at the lawn and wood of the deck. He left bloody scratch marks as his fingernails broke against the ground.

Vaughn drug the man fully inside before letting go of him, stepping over him to go back to the door. He looked out for a moment, shaking his head in annoyance before he slammed it shut, sealing the man’s fate at his hands.

Kohen crossed off the sixth address he had written down, which had also turned out to be a bust. He muttered a string of curses under his breath as he absentmindedly grabbed one end of his skateboard, his foot stomping down on the other end so it boosted it in an upright position, just in time for Kohen to catch it.

His heavy eyes blinked tiredly as he squinted at the next address. Kohen wasn't a stranger to sleepless nights but it felt like he had depleted his energy day after day without a break in both the physical sense and emotional sense for days now- a lot more than he had in years.
Maybe he should give it up for tonight. Tomorrow he could come back and continue patrolling neighborhoods, surely then he would-
And just as he was about to finish that thought, an ear-piercing scream came from down the road. Kohen jumped out of his skin at the shrill, quickly getting down to cover his head as if something were coming to get him.

Well. If he had thought of giving up just moments ago, he sure as hell wasn't now.
Kohen immediately got up, his adrenaline-pumping heart hammering loudly in his chest as he decided to run towards the noise instead of skating- or going the opposite way like a sane human being.
It was a lot of things.
A lot of things as to why Kohen did the things he did and also the reason why he didn't think about them. As he ran, all Kohen could think of was "I did it! I did it! I'm good for something!" a huge grin spreading across his face, wondering if now this would count for something. He had predicted a murder even before it was going to happen, how many people could say that? Maybe only a handful and Kohen was now part of that handful.
Kohen stopped after a while, panting as he wiped the sweat from his brow, having lost where the screaming had come from. That was, till he heard the sound of a door slamming closed, the voice of the wounded man muffled as it was trapped in four walls once again.

Now, Kohen new better than to get himself caught again by the same person- er, killer more like. But his excitement got the better of him, now bolting towards the house he was certain the murder was taking place.
It was dark out and Kohen couldn't see much of anything. If he used the flashlight on his phone it might alert the people inside and he wouldn't be able to catch a glimpse of the killer. Kohen's plan wasn't just to find the killer, but to know who the face under the mask was. He hadn't thought much further than that. It would give him everything he needed to turn the killer in, but he hadn't decided yet if that's what he wanted to do- it would certainly boost his reputation by a lot and his father would maybe finally be proud but…
Kohen's thoughts turned over again and again, trying to think, however, not getting far as begging could be heard coming from in the house. His eyes grew wide as he looked around, deciding to quickly sneak his way onto the porch of the house, pressing his back firmly against the wall, hesitantly peeking inside to see what was going on- a murder, yes, that much was obvious but he wanted to catch the exactly moment the mask came off. If it did. His mind scolded him.
It didn't matter. He'd stalk the killer if he had to.

The kill went very smooth, as far as Vaughn was concerned. There had been the little mishap with the man being allowed to get out of the house and cause a disturbance in the street, but that was done and over with. Besides, he hadn't heard the sound of police sirens just yet, so he figured that they were either slow moving or maybe the man hadn't screamed loud enough. How unfortunate for him.

It took place in a calculated fashion. After Vaughn had shut the door, he made his way back to the man who was dragging himself across the floor in a pitiful attempt to escape. The man sobbed, rolling over onto his back when Vaughn came to stand over him. "Please, don't do this to me," he cried, holding his hands up like that would shield him from the killer with a hatchet, "Is it money that you want? I have that, I can give that to you! I won't tell anyone, please!"

Vaughn sighed, like listening to the man was an annoyance. It was, really. With a swift movement, he striked one of the man's outstretched hands with the hatchet, almost hacking halfway through it. This caused the man to jerk his hands away with a pained howl. "You think I want your dirty money? You're delusional for even thinking that," he spat, sounding disgusted at the thought of doing so. What kind of person would he be if he just let the abusive man go for a bit of cash?

In a swift movement, Vaughn knelt down, knee digging into the man's ribs. "You're a man of God, right?" he asked, tone taunting as he tilted his head, "This is your lucky day- you get to meet the man you have so highly worshipped."

With that, Vaughn brought the hatchet down as the man screamed, the blade connecting with his neck. Over and over, he struck the man with it. Blood sprayed out of the growing wound, making the whole thing look like a bloodbath. It sprayed all over Vaughn's mask, effectively blinding him momentarily. He tried to wipe away the gore but only managed to smear it around. He ripped the hatchet out of the man's throat, dropping the weapon off to the side. He had struck the man with it eight times, effectively leaving his neck looking like a mound of minced meat. His head had been separated from his body; the expression frozen in a state of terror.

"Fucking disgusting," Vaughn grumbled as he stood up. Figure hovered next to him, whispering praises of a job well done. He reached up, pulling off his blood covered mask and wiping at his eyes. with the back of his hand to try to get the blood out of them. He was ready to go and get a shower. Thankfully, he hadn't been injured beside a bit of bruising from the initial takedown. That was a win compared to his past serious injuries he had sustained. He brushed his hair back out of his face before leaning down to pick up the hatchet, giving the body one last nudge with his boot. He turned, making his way towards the front door to leave, unaware of Kohen's presence right on the other side of it.

Kohen knew the blood-curling screams and the way people were killed was nothing to scoff at, but he had been around it for as long as he could remember that it barely fazed him.
However.
Just as he had taken a look inside the window, catching the moment the killer nearly sliced off the other's hand, a cold chill ran up his spine. Maybe it was the cool night air making him shiver, but something about how his body felt strangely cold and empty and petrified in the sudden realization that if caught, he would most certainly be next, made him think otherwise.
Kohen didn't flinch at much anymore, but occasionally he was proven otherwise, his body's way of reminding him that he was still terrified of dying, despite loosely hanging onto the idea that he wouldn't mind if he did somehow die. Still. Being brutally killed was not how he wanted to leave this plane of existence.

Many more thoughts kept passing through Kohen's head, it seemed like his brain was working overtime to provide both comfort and ideas as to what he should do after the fact. But once he had been brought out of his head by the killer's words, Kohen's insides froze over. Nearly all the blood drained from his face as he recognized the familiar voice.
He didn't move. His lungs ceasing to inhale air as felt himself be paralyzed. Surely it was just all in his head, there were a lot of voices that sounded similar to others and it didn't mean he should be pointing fingers just yet.
Rationalize. Rationalize. He told himself, trying to convince himself that the voice was not Vaughn's and that he was simply caught up in the fact that he had actually been hanging out with an attractive guy who surprisingly, brought out the more flustered side of him. His mind had been stuck on the man for some time so it wouldn't come as a surprise if Kohen was seeing- or in this case, hearing things where he wasn't supposed to.

The moment of truth, however, was when the killer finally took the mask off in a desperate attempt to clean himself of the blood.
Once it came off and Kohen found himself looking at none other than Vaughn's face, he felt his legs turn to jello.

Oh. Oh fuck. Oh shit.

And just like that, he felt his stomach twist into knots, a sick feeling that threatened to purge his stomach's contents. He needed to get out of this place. Now. But even if he screamed at his body to move, it wouldn't, as if firmly glued to the place he stood.
A trembling had taken over his body at this point, and the thought that made him panic the most was that although Vaughn was the killer, that didn't stop his attraction towards him- if anything, somehow it only fed it. But even with all that, he wondered if Vaughn would still kill him- he knew who he was, but did that mean anything to the other in the bigger picture?

It felt as if his body only decided to move at the last possible second when Vaughn had reached the door, twisted the door nob, and was in the middle of opening it to leave.
Kohen bolted.
Fuck his skateboard and his backpack he had set down and anything else that had been in it. Vaughn terrified him as equally as he made his heart skip a beat in ways only a lover could- but Kohen wasn't about to admit that last part anytime soon.
Shit! Shit! Shit! Panic rose inside of Kohen as he ran. Please dear fuck, god, let me outrun this- He pleaded with a force he wasn't entirely sure existed. He had been raised in Christianity but had renounced most of its teachings by the time he had turned sixteen.