Vaughan has always wanted to attend college. He has this secret dream of becoming a high school teacher or a college professor. Could you imagine Vaughan standing before a group of young men and women teaching? Many of his students would probably look or even be twice his age, considering he is nineteen and could easily pass for fifteen. The young, stunning man standing before a classroom of eager students with his wild mane and his tight leather stripper pants exhaling sexual intentions with every breath he took. His class might just be a little bit distracting…

At any rate, he’s always wanted to be a teacher but his family never had the money for college. Besides that, who cared about college anyways? And when his parents had been taken from him all hope of school had faded away with his high school diploma that was tucked somewhere at the bottom of a shoe box with family pictures stacked on top.

But now…now was different. Tatsumi had found him, his angel, his miracle. She took him into her home and she fell in love with him, that fool. He loved her, his fool. Which…also made him a fool. Granted loving her was safer then most because she could not be taken from him untimely the way his parents had but still, any love, any devotion to another was foolish. But she was in his life and they loved each other and there wasn’t anything else to be done about it. She had said that she would send him to college, that not attending was a waste of an intelligent man.

Today, while Tatsumi had slept, because he could not cope with the fact that she died every day and that even now she lay dead to the world, he had walked to the campus.

Vaughan was sitting at a table in the middle of the very crowded café at a table for two. The café was cramped and warm with bodies, which he did not find objectable since it was growing very cold outside and he liked to be surrounded with people anyways. His papers and brochures, small booklets and sheets, were spread over the tables tiny surface, each with the University Logo slashed across the top and he was chewing on the eraser of a pencil.

Many had stared at him when he had entered, his clothing and his prideful body doing it’s job. Today, as the weather grew cold, Vaughan is wearing a pair of velvet boots. These boots flapped loosely around his calves and buckled up the sides to below his kneecaps. Extending downward into the boots, his pants were the telltale stripper leather. He wore leather in the summer too, the cold hadn’t chased him into it, but it didn’t chafe so horribly when it was cold out. The pants fit like a second skin but otherwise were non-decorative. His shirt was more natural under his zipped up leather jacket, the top pocking out to reveal a mock turtleneck in black. His hair was a mane of auburn curls that flooded downward to brush his shoulders and his eyes had been dusted with, if you looked closely, a gray and black eye shadow, just enough to draw you into those brown pools.

Vaughan had chosen this table not only because it had been one of the two available but also because it was right smack in the middle of everyone. The other table had quickly become home to two moody, mopping gothic teenagers. He ordered a hot chocolate and leaned his seat back until it stood dangerously on two legs. Now he punished the wretched eraser with his teeth and waited with the patients of a saint, a very young, devastatingly attractive saint, for his hot cocoa.

((Sorry! Just been really really busy and lacking a muse >.< ))


Weekends... Nikki wasn't sure if he hated weekdays or weekends more. Weekdays meant school, school meant bullies, bullies were always trouble that he wanted to avoid. Yeah... But weekends... Well those just reminded him that he didn't have any friends. His mom had been just about interrogating him about why he wasn't hanging out with anyone today, so he just said he had someone to hang out with...

Nate was really his only friend... But Nate had some sort of skin condition where he couldn't come out during the day...

Besides... Nate... Being around him just confused him even more. He liked Nate... He really really did. But... He'd always been told it was wrong. That it was wrong to love someone of the same sex...

Darn it was cold...

Why did he have to lie that he was going to hang out? Why couldn't he just pretend to do some homework?

Nikki took refuge in the first place he found... A crowded coffee shop... Great. He didn't really drink coffee, and there were a lot of people. Looking around... His heart suddenly skipped a beat, then began to beat a hundred miles an hour as he saw one guy. He... He was so wild looking... Not wild like an animal, but like someone who loved to have a bit too much fun.

Blushing red he looked away quickly, realizing he'd been staring at the man for a good while now. Nikki shoved his hands back in his pocket and walked to the back of the shop, sitting at one of the stools. Well, he didn't have money to get anything, so what was the point in even being here?

Oh yeah. It was warm.

OOC: No need. Also often busy so it’s fine! Plus…I disappeared on you for like…three months.

IC: Nikki happens to be the most interesting thing in the world. Not because he was staring at Vaughan, oh no. Far too many people stared at Vaughan on a daily basis to make that stand out in his head (right now, in fact, half of the coffee shop was staring at the boy with the leather pants, boots, and tight leather jacket, the boy far too young to look so…wanting…the other half were trying to pretend they didn’t notice.) What made Nikki so interesting as to draw in Vaughan’s cat-like curiosity was the fact that aside from himself, Nikki was the first person to enter the shop alone in the past…how long had it been since he walked in himself? Fifteen minutes?

No way was he still waiting for that drink!

He raised his eyebrows, his brown eyes hunting for the girl who promised his coffee was ‘coming right up!’ and sighed when he didn’t see her behind the counter.

Vaughan stood, the leather did not creak at all, and stretched. When he stretched the jacket tugged up and revealed just a flash of tanned flat belly before he lowered his arms. He made his way through the crowded room, sacrificing his two-seat table, with his college papers rolled up and stuffed into his back pocket. Those people who were pretending not to notice him a minute ago…they’re all watching him now. He has a presence that makes him noticed in the first place but when he walks he has a way of getting people’s attention. Hey, his presence is his paycheck don’t you know?

“Stool taken?” he asked Nikki when he reached him. One leather clad butt cheek was already sliding onto the stool when he asked. He knew it wasn’t. He was sure he wouldn’t be turned away. He wasn’t knew he would get the attention he wanted here. He wasn’t as sure about that hot chocolate.

“They’re so bogged down today I’ve been waiting for hot chocolate for almost fifteen minutes.” Smile. …Dazzling smile.

If that smile can enchant a vampire, what exactly does it do to mortals?

Even though Nikki had his eyes adverted purposely from the other guy, he knew when he moved. Saw it in the side of his eye... And he couldn't help but look.

He turned his back as he saw the young man heading his way, shutting his eyes tight. What was going on? Why did he want to look? Why did he want to keep looking at the other guy! He... He had to stop himself.

Nikki couldn't help but jump as he heard the voice, so smooth and light... Not quite a man, but not a boy either really.

"N...Nno..." He stammered, his heart racing two miles a minute. One was because of the guy, the other mile because of what the guy was doing to him.

D-Don't look... Ju-Just don't look... He told himself again and again.

But he couldn't help it. He... He had to look. He wanted to look, even to be noticed by him now.

The poor boy's face was already reddening, but it turned bright scarlet at the smile. Nikki felt a chill go through his body followed by something... Something completely different than anything he;d ever felt before, even with Nate. It wasn't like he cared for this guy like he did for Nate... But again... It was something... Wild.

"Ah... Uh... Yeah... M-Me too..." He said sheepishly, blushing ear to ear with wide brown eyes, despite the fact he hadn't been in the shop for more than three minutes tops. He turned away, forcing himself to look at the high top of the counter instead of the young man in crushed velvet high-top boots.

Vaughan laughed. He was not, not, laughing at the boy but rather he was amused by his own affect on people. He studied it like it was an interesting bug, as if he hadn’t already studied it so carefully a million times before, as if it weren’t just part of him now and not something he had to put on and take off.

His laughter was light, more like a warm, open chuckle really.

“Three minutes you’ve been waiting for a fifteen minute old order?” His amusement was light, teasing. Flirt.

Vaughan’s manicured fingers tugged a napkin free of it’s prison among other napkins in the tightly packed holder. He made slow progress on the napkin by twisting it between fingers, slowly winding it tighter. “I’ll buy you a coca,” he offered, “but there isn’t any guarantee that by the time yours gets here I won’t have already finished mine and ordered a second.” Grin. Flirt.

He released the napkin, it started to loosen it’s twisted posture, to extend that manicured, pampered hand. His nails were painted a deep, dark, royal purple, almost black. “Vaughan Wolf,” he introduced. It wasn’t quite a stripper name but when it got coupled with that smile, those eyes, and that particular leather clad outfit, one might make the connection.

As he heard the guy laugh, Nikki wanted to simply disappear. He wanted to sink down into the floor, but instead he lowered his head to the table, his face as bright red as the stripe on his sneakers.

"Uh... No..." He murmured.

Great... This day was just getting better and better... Why did people always have to target him to pick on... Because that was all that he saw it as. He'd never had anyone flirt with him, so he couldn't really tell the difference.

Nikki's face felt hot, not just warm, as he stared at the counter.

"Uh... No thanks... It's okay." He shook his head. Right... Like the guy wouldn't try to do something to it, or... Or just try to make fun of him more.

He didn't want to look at the man... How... How could someone who seemed like... Like he might be different... Just humiliate him. Was he that big of a wuss that people could just pick him out of a crowd as a target?

"I just wanna be alone okay...?" He murmured, turning away as the guy introduced himself. He had to turn away completely. Looking at him would just... Just make him fall back into the guys charms, even if he was just a bully. "I get enough crud at school I don't need yours too." He muttered, sounding braver than he felt. If only he could have shut himself in his room...

Vaughan watched his face turn more red and his smile slipped slightly, like a momentary falter. He hadn't meant to embarrass him, just to have a little fun with him. He often flirt with men who weren't attracted to other men and he always got one of three results: a) they stormed off, offended, leaving an amused Vaughan, b.) they got flustered, making an amused Vaughan, or c) they took at as 'just guy banter' and goofed off in return. Rarely did he actually embarrass someone.

"Are you sure," he asked with the decline to his offer. "I have..." Frown.

Rejection: it's Vaughan's greatest, and possibly only, weakness. He's just been shot down. And hard.

"Oh." He looks like you just kicked the family puppy - and he's the puppy. "Ok." Those big sad eyes sad 'well damn,' as he started to slide back off the stool.

Then next words, muttered under the breath and at his back, brought him to a halt. "Excuse me?" He sounds offended, suddenly. And less like a sultry sex toy covered in leather and more like a wounded, annoyed teenager. He turns and those brown eyes say he knows how to play the part of teenage angst. "I was not giving you crude," he informed. And then in a more curious tone: "How is buying you a drink picking on you? If that's picking I wouldn't mind any Tom, Dick, or Jane buying my a drink every night."

"Yeah right... You're just making fun of me, that's all you're doing. All the guys in school do, what makes you any different?" Nikki muttered softly, picking up the napkin that Vaughan had discarded.

Yeah... just because he looked a bit different didn't mean that he would act any different. "All you guys are the same... Just... Just teasing someone because they're different." Yeah... They were all the same. They were all self-important, egotistical, and just wanted to hurt people for fun. "Why? Why do guys always do this? Why do you have to make fun of people that aren't like you?"

So what if he was a bit confused? So what if he wasn't really sure who he was or what he wanted? He still had feelings, still could cry....

And he was starting to now. He could feel his eyes stinging, could feel the tears coming to his eyes.

What was wrong with him? Why was he so torn up about this that he felt like just crying here and now?

"It's not right..." He bit his lip slightly, trying to fight back the tears.

Vaughan was momentarily speechless…which was very rare. Finally he started to compose himself.

What makes me any different from the guys at school? He thought about that for a second, trying to figure out what exactly made him the same as the guys at school. The fact that he couldn’t think of anything that made him the same as everyone else made him smile a little.

“Different?” He chocked on the word, a combination between a laugh and a shout. He scotched his leather clad butt back onto the edge of the stool and leaned in a little. “I don’t think anyone in this room is anymore different,” he made the world sound dirty, “then I am…sweetheart.” Smile. Flirting again. He hasn’t been denied and shot down because someone didn’t want him…he was shot down because the guy wasn’t secure with himself. That’s a whole different story, and in Vaughan’s eyes, nothing to get worked up about.

But then those eyes…apparently Vaughan isn’t the only one in the coffee house who can make the ‘kicked dog’ face.

Tears started showing up in the others eyes and he frowned, his lip pouting a little. “I wasn’t picking on you…” he whined. He’s gone from sexy creature to sulking teenager to pouting, frustrated child in minutes. “Actually,” he added a little thoughtfully, “I was really sort of hitting on you.”

Not secure with himself? How could he be secure with himself when he didn't even know who he was? When he didn't know what he felt unless someone told him. Being around Nate made things better... Around Nate he knew what he wanted, even if he knew that he shouldn't want it. But at least then he knew, well more surely than when he wasn't around, what made him happy.

Nikki didn't know what to think though as Vaughan declared that he hadn't been picking fun at him. It had seemed like it, but then again, maybe he was just being oversensitive... He wasn't used to people being nice to him, and this guy confused him inside enough already.

But he wasn't sure that it was any better when the guy said he'd actually been trying to hit on him. That made Nikki blush again. Was it that easy to tell? Could people tell what he felt just by looking at him? Sure he wore his heart on his sleeve a lot... But...

"I'm not like that..." Nikki lied through hot cheeks, blushing just as red as before. Well, wasn't he taken already sort of kind of? Geezz... Where was Nate when he needed him? He needed someone who'd make him stronger. Not physically of course, but emotionally. He felt so mixed up right now, he didn't know how to react or what to do.

"Besides... It's not like I'm good looking or anything... None of the girls in school even like me..."

Bright red. It was endearing. Vaughan suddenly felt very sorry for the guy.

"So you're not like that," Vaughan shrugged, just a graceful lift of his shoulders, then leaned towards the guy again, hand extended once more. "I'm Vaughan Wolf, you are?" he tried again. Seriously, Vaughan is relentless...this is not just limited to Tatsumi, it's everyone. At least he's not making her a special target, right?

Vaughan left his hand extended, that relentlessness, as he raised his dark eyebrows. "Not cute? Does it really matter?" he asked instead of gushing all over the boy. After all 'oh no! you are the cutest' wasn't exactly a very convincing argument. But this argument was going to go a little deeper then surface for Vaughan. "Do you really think I'm that shallow?" He didn't sound very offended this time, however.

It's hard to sound offended when being mistaken for shallow when you put so much effort into your physically appearance as he does. He's georgeous, he knows it, which could contribute to being shallow. He's humbled by the fact that his mother raised him good, his father gave him a level head, and it's humbled him that it is by his appearances only that He gets paid every week….plus tips.

“How about that drink then?” he asked, then smiled, “minus the hitting on you part.” He winked. He can’t help it but to flirt, it’s in his very nature.

Was he like that? He still didn't really know... He didn't know what he was like, but if he wasn't sure he really was gay, should he just go around saying he was? Of course not.

"Uh... I'm Nikki.. Nikki Downing." He murmured finally. "And yeah... To most people it would." He said simply, still not looking at the boy. It was dangerous to look at him, Nikki knew that now for sure.

But Nikki shrugged at Vaughan's question. "Everyone is. It's just how people are, natural instinct really." Survival of the fittest, and in this superficial and materialistic society the fittest were the handsome or beautiful ones. "People are attracted to beauty. That's just how things are. Now you can say beauty is in the eye of the beholder if you want, whatever... But you can't deny that humans are naturally shallow." Him included of course, because after all, was it not looks that had drawn his eyes to this guy in the first place?

Was it not Vaughan's appearance that scared him into keeping his eyes adverted from the young man.

Well duh.

"Uh drink? Nah... Not really thirsty... Just came here to get out of the cold... I usually just drink water anyway." He gave a light shrug. Well, water or juice and maybe sometimes tea. He didn't drink sodas, coffee, hot chocolate... Too much sugar for him, gave him headaches and made him jittery.

Nikki was a cute name. Vaughan made an approving, humming sound, mostly to himself.

"Well," Vaughan was determined to win this argument, "it doesn't matter to me."

Vaughan shifted around a little and tapped his fingers. He didn't like this not looking at him routine. Vaughan's job...his whole life, actually, was based on being looked at, seen.

"Natural instincts?" He smiled. "You are being very pessimistic, my friend. That or you have very little confidence in your fellow humanity. There are a lot of very shallow people but not every Joe is a schmuck."

Vaughan looked over his shoulder at the window, out into the cold night. "It is a little chilly out there isn't it?" He returned the weight of those deep brown eyes to Nikki again. "Water then?" he offered.

"Well then you're just an oddity of nature." He mumbled. Not to be mean of course, but rather pointing out that it was unusual for someone's appearance not to matter to another.

"And well... No I don't have any confidence..." And wasn't that the truth. He didn't have any confidence in anyone else, not himself... Not his parents or anyone. When people only paid attention to you long enough to tease you or try to beat you up... Gee... That was really something to have confidence and security in.

Nikki's eyes remained firmly on the counter-top, as he saw no need to really have them anywhere else.

"Huh? Oh... Just a little..." He murmured. "But no... I'm okay. And besides... It'll take them twenty minutes to get it to me." He said with a slight muse, looking at the still long line.

"Oddity?" Vaughan seemed to consider those words for a moment. Finally he said, and with no offense but a mild interest in his tone: "I can handle that, I guess." He smiled encouragingly. "What about you, are you a fellow oddity?" Not that it would have mattered if Vaughan was trying to get into his pants. Vaughan knows that he's pretty enough for anyone worried about appearances.

"Well, I hope someone one day inspires some confidence for you." He didn't sound as if he was hinting at himself being that someone.

"Or," he said, "I can ask them to bring a glass of water when they finally bring me my hot chocolate." He smiled sideways at him. "Besides, would twenty minutes with me really hurt you all that much?" He's flirting again. He can't help it, not really. It's like a second nature that he reverts back to without even noticing it.

Nikki shrugged at Vaughan's question. He didn't know what he was. He didn't know really anything about himself. He was just so confused that he couldn't sort his mind out. Not on his own.

But who would help him if he couldn't do it by himself?

"Doubtful." He said simply. "I don't like a lot of people, and they seem not to like me. So I'll just let it be that way for now. I don't care anyway." He said defiantly. Nate as the only one who seemed to care for him, but he'd only known Nate for a little while, he couldn't very well say that Nate hadn't humiliated him or screwed him over yet, because he hadn't had the chance.

The boy shook his head though as Vaughan spoke about the water. "No... I'm fine." He said simply, but Nikki shivered as he heard the next words. He wanted to tell him to stop it. Whatever he was doing ,to stop it and not do it again. But there was a part of him that liked it. Wanted to hear someone talk to him like that.

"Don't... Don't do that Vaughan..." He murmured, plucking bits from the napkin again. He shouldn't like the shiver that ran through him. He wasn't supposed to want it. That's what his dad always said.