forum | Lgbtq+ | OPEN

Started May 10, 2018 by @darkeyes

tune

(yes Kaz's dead ex was named Finley) He finished off the last of the bourbon, and he could barely keep his eyes open. He took his glasses off clumsily and set them on the table, laying the empty bottle next to it. He rolled over, burying his face in the scratchy pillow and drifting off

(Oh nooo that’s sad)

Vaughn walked to the corner of the backroom where a cot was set out. He crawled onto the not to comfortable mattress, but he was mentally and physically exhausted. He laid on his side, tugging a thin blanket up to his waist. He rested his head on one of the older pillows, hugging another as his eyes shut. It just felt right to hold onto something as he slept. It was like a child would do, thinking that doing so would keep them safer and comfort them.

(k) Kaz groaned as he woke up, rolling over onto his side. He misjudged the distance on the couch however and ended up falling off of it onto the carpeted floor. "Motherfucker…" he mumbled, the light streaming through the wall of windows temporarily blinding him. He did his best to sit up, grabbing the coffee table for support. He found his glasses, blinking as his eyes adjusted and then wincing at the headache it caused

Vaughn slowly woke up, shifting a bit under the covers. He let go of the pillow that he had been clutching and sat up, head throbbing from the light streaming through a small window. He groaned sharply and got up from the cot, stumbling out from the backroom and to the counter. The radio was still on, and it was loud too. That just made his headache feel worse, so he turned the device off. He fumbled with a coffee maker, needing something warm to help fight off his killer hangover. He made himself a cup of coffee, pouring a good amount of creamer into it before downing half of the burning hot drink.

The radio had gone dead hours ago, Kaz's phone running out of battery a little bit after he had fallen asleep. There was a faint pattering noise coming from outside, and he squinted at the window. It was beginning to rain, which helped his mood a little. He crossed his legs on the floor, rubbing at his eyes. He didn't want to stand up but he did anyways, stumbling tiredly to the coffee maker while stretching, stiff joints popping loudly after falling asleep in such an odd position. He poked at the machine a few times before it finally started making coffee

//I like it

Vaughn walked through the isles, eyes glancing over the shelves. It was decently stocked with food, most still good for the next few months. He plucked a protein bar from a shelf, reading the label before walking over to the counter. He pushed up and sat on the counter, feet skimming the tiled floor as he unwrapped the protein bar and took a bite.

(I'm glad you like it ^^) Kaz took the mug out from beneath the coffee maker as soon as it was full, holding it carefully in one hand while he fished creamer out of the fridge with the other. He filled the mug before setting the creamer back inside, taking a long drink of the coffee. His head throbbed, but the blanket of rain helped block the light filtering through the windows. He set his mug down for a moment, reaching into one of the cupboards for a bottle of Tylenol and taking a few

(Yep! I may try and draw Vaughn at some point, though I probably won’t have time until next Wednesday once exams are over.)

Vaughn eventually finished his protein bar and tossed the wrapper into a nearby trashcan. Still sitting on the counter, he grabbed a remote next to him and flicked on the TV that was up in the corner of the room. A news channel was on, and he frowned at what was already being talked about by a female newscaster.

”Officials now believe that the serial killer known as Vaughn Finley has killed again. A body was found in the front yard of Elijah and Katie Miller’s home. Elijah Miller was found dead from fatal, viscous wounds. He had just recently been released from a trial where he had been convicted of spousal battery and one account of child abuse, but was let out on a bail. Now, Psychiatrist Joseph Gibson tells us more.”

An older man now flashed on the screen, beginning to speak.

”I have been asked multiple times what I think of this new serial killer. He is certainly a younger man, though he seems to have the violence of someone much older and wiser than him. We have analyzed his childhood and teen years, um, specifically the Finley House Murders that took places around a decade ago. Vaughn Finley certainly was a younger male at that time, and witnessing two homicides could certainly mess with someone’s mental state. We know that his father was convicted and given life in prison for killing his wife and daughter, and there is a similar trend in who Vaughn Finley goes after- specifically being men convicted of various types of abuse in their family. But yes, I certainly believe he has some sort of mental illness and-or trauma that could be fueling this unnecessary murder.”

(ooh you'll have to show me when you do) Kaz wondered back into the small living room, glancing outside. It had begun to properly rain now, and it seemed to help make his headache go away just a little. He slid back onto the couch, reaching for the remote. He hit the power button, and was surprised to see Vaughn's face plastered across the screen. He squinted at it a moment, listening to some psychologist drone on about what he believed to be Vaughn's motives, targets, and whatever else the public would eat up. He frowned at it before flipping to some documentary on older NASA crafts. He would rather not listen to some paid idiot who probably wasn't even a psychologist go on and on about the guy he had spent time with the night before

(Will do)

Vaughn glared at the TV screen when a photo came up as the man talked in the background. It was a photo of him as a child, with his sisters who was only a baby, and his parents. All grinning for the camera. He flicked the TV off before roughly chucking the remote across the room and into a shelf.

(oh no, Vaughn's upset) Kaz sank into the couch, watching someone assemble a model of the Apolo 11. He smiled. He had his own model, an accurate one made of wood he had constructed when he was 12. It was safe on a shelf in his room, right next to the other shuttles and motorcycles he had constructed. They were a nice way to take his mind off things, a sort of mindless distraction. It was a nice alternative to killing his liver with alcohol, or stuffing his lungs with cigarette smoke

(He gets upset pretty easily about that stuff. It’s either just violent anger or panic attacks)

Vaughn walked back into the backroom, searching through boxes on a shelf. He took out a bottle of pills, pouring a few into his hand, not checking the label. He popped them into his mouth, dry swallowing them. He felt like there was a pressure on his lungs. It made it difficult to breathe, and his breaths game in short, sharp intakes. He changed into his more professional outfit while waiting for the medicine to start working.

(oof) Kaz sighed as the program ended. He checked the time on the TV's menu, and rubbed at his eyes as he realized it was time to take his meds. He grabbed his coffee and got up, making his way to the kitchen to fish through the cupboards for the day's pills. He grabbed a couple bottles, grabbing various tablets and pills out of each. He took the four or five in his hand, trying to beat back his gag reflex with coffee. He hated the pills, really. Didn't know anyone that liked them. He leaned against the counter for a moment, eyes wandering. They flickered to the knife holder next to the sink. It would be so easy, wouldn't it? To go back to old habits, to stop taking the pills again

Vaughn heard a buzz come from his phone in the front, and he walked over, snatching up the device. There was a text from someone named Karen, and she wanted to meet up. He had been speaking with Karen on the matter of her husband. He hadn’t been convicted yet, but he had beaten her and her 9 year old son, Ben. He had met Ben, and he already loved the kid. Ben was very bright, very innocent too. He liked that family, so he agreed to go over to Karen’s home while her husband was at work.

Kaz mentally slapped himself. No. He wouldn't do it, not again. It would ruin the ink on his wrists, and he was doing so much better than a year ago. If you could call his current state better. He turned away from the counter and walked back to the couch, flopping down onto it and grabbing a fresh cigarette from a pack on the table. He actually used the lighter this time, lighting the cigarette and taking a quick puff before taking another sip of coffee

Vaughn stepped from the gas station, AMT Automag V stuffed into the waistband of his trousers. He got into a nearby truck and started it up, driving into the smaller town. He glanced around as he drove, focusing his attention on the bar from the night before as he drove by it. He wondered if Kaz was awake yet.

Kaz got off of the couch, his tenancy to get bored easily causing him to pace around the room. He wandered over to the wall that was almost entirely a series of small square windows panes, glancing down at the empty street below. Or, empty except for a single truck driving through the road. He squinted at it. Was that…Vaughn's electrical signature? He leaned forward a little more, and sure enough Vaughn's signature made itself clear through the rain

Vaughn’s fingers lightly tapped on the steering wheel as he continued down the road again, shaking the looming idea of Kaz from his thoughts. He drove the short distance to Karen’s home, parking across the street and keeping his head low as he walked up to her front door. He knocked and waited, glancing around anxiously before the door was opened. An older woman, maybe in her thirties, with brown hair and hazel eyes, opened the door, smiling cheekily.

“Vaughn, come in!” The woman, Karen, said in a friendly tone. He gave her a polite smile and came inside after wiping his shoes on the front mat. He looked around the cozy home. Not a place you would expect terrible abuse to be happening. “Anything recently?” He asked in a low tone.

Karen’s delighted expression faltered and she nodded, lifting up the side of their shirt to show a terrible looking bruise on her waist that made Vaughn scowl. “I’ll get him for that, dont you worry about anything besides you and Ben.”

As if on cue, a shorter boy with messy brown hair and big hazel eyes ran over, hugging Vaughn around the legs. “Vaughn!” He exclaimed, not quite pronouncing his name right, but he didn’t correct the boy. He simply smiled warmly and lifted Ben into his arms. “How’ve you been, Ben?”

“Good! I got to get new toys today! Do you want to see?” He asked excitedly. Vaughn glanced at Karen, who nodded. He agreed and set Ben down, letting the boy pull him into another room.

(ok so Vaughn is now officially one of my favorite characters in existence) Kaz's expression fell a little as Vaughn's signature disappeared down the road. The man hadn't even glanced his way. He took another drag of his cigarette, trying and failing to keep himself from mentally telling himself off for thinking Vaughn really wanted anything to do with him. He started to pace a little, his mind running a million miles a second. Why had he even bothered giving Vaughn his number? What was he thinking?

(Lmao Vaughn is a nice, mentally ill serial killer that is good with kiddos)

Vaughn was led into Ben’s room, his jacket being tugged on by the boy’s hand until he sat down. Ben sat next to him, rummaging through a large box. He grabbed a handful of what looked like little green army men, holding them out for Vaughn to see. “I got these guys! They’re soldiers, see?” Ben said in a happy tone, sticking them right in front of his face.

Vaughn gave a low chuckle and took one from Ben, looking at it. “Oh man, I had some of these as a kid.”

“Really?” Bed squealed, his eyes bright.

“Oh yeah. Look,” Vaughn said as he shifted so he was laying on his stomach, and Ben did the same as him. He took the small toys from Ben and made two lines, the lines facing each other. “You can put them across from each other like this, and pretend one side are the bad guys, and the other side are the good guys. Which should be which?”

Ben looked at both sides before pointing at one. “They are the good guys.”

“Okay. Now, you just have to make the good guys win,” he said, pausing to shift through the toy box, taking out a handful of small bouncy balls. “And you can take these, and toss them at the bad guys. Once you knock all the bad guys over, the good ones win.”

(aaaa Vaughn and Ben are giving me life rn) Kaz scowled, finishing his coffee and walking over to the sink to rinse it out and put it up. He took another drag of his cigarette, leaning against the counter with his head resting in one hand. His headache was finally starting to go away, but something in the back of his mind tried to tell him to take more pills. He ran a hand through his messy, unbrushed hair, sighing. It was too early in the morning to listen to his literal inner demon piping up

Vaughn sat back and watched as Ben tossed the balls at the line of ‘bad guys’. He smiled when Ben would cry out with delight when he hit one of the little toys. Eventually, they were all knocked over.

“I did it!” Bed squealed, grinning brightly. “I got the bad guys!”

“I wish I had some sort of prize to give you. Maybe your mom and I can make cookies or something later,” Vaughn said with a smile.

“Really?” The boy gasped, throwing his arms around Vaughn's neck in a hug. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome,” he responded, and Ben let go of him, continuing to show him his toys.