|as sure as night is dark & day is light|

[manatee]

He’d spent the rest of the day yesterday setting up his apartment. It had helped him take his mind off of things. At least then he had something to do to steady his hands and keep his mind off of just how many vampire hunters could have been walking around this town. It changed everything, knowing that, and he wasn’t too sure how he felt. There was a small pit of unease that had settled in his stomach, and no matter how many things he unpacked and put onto shelves, he couldn’t dislodge it and force it out.

Lennon looked, like shit, for lack of a better word. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days, and she also looked as if she possibly needed medical attention. It was a bit concerning that Cohen could tell she was still bleeding. It definitely wasn’t as much as last night, but it was enough to catch his attention. How long had she been sitting here? What if someone would have come around? Clearly she could take care of herself on a normal day, but she was looking a bit worn. It was the day though, and Cohen knew there weren’t many vampires who shared his ability. You had to befriend a witch for that, and that was a test in and of itself.

“You’re clearly more than tired,” he offered, watching as she attempted to stand but then sat down just as quick. This went against everything he’d told himself he was going to do. He was supposed to be staying away from her, making himself invisible. This was not a part of his plan. Cohen was never against spending his nights and days with a woman, but this was just completely not allowed. If he let her in, someone who was clearly experienced in vampires, she might notice some things.

But he was getting soft in his old age. He couldn’t leave her on the steps of their subpar apartment landing. “Alright,” he muttered, more to himself than her, “let’s get you inside.” Before Lennon could protest, Cohen was gathering her into his arms, making sure that she didn’t bump her head against anything as he balanced holding her and unlocking his door. Before he sat her on the small sofa, he glanced around the room for anything incriminating. Thankfully he was a little bit smarter than that.

“Can I get you anything, water, a blood transfusion?”

Lennon thought he was joking, but he could probably rummage up some of her blood type in the cooler he’d hidden in the hall closet behind some boxes he’d avoided unpacking. They weren’t there for his constant use, but for emergencies, when he couldn’t find something to feed on. Cohen crouched down in front of Lennon, reaching out to push some hair back from her face.

“I mean this in the best way possible, but you look like complete shit. Are you sure you’re alright?”

As in, was anyone going to come looking for her? The reality of what he’d done hit hard and he stood abruptly, pushing some hair out of his face before running his hand over his mouth, skin catching on the hair that probably needed a shave. He’d just bought a vampire hunter inside of his home.

 

[zooka]

Lennon's behavior when Cohen picked her up could probably be compared to that of someone who was slightly drunk. She rolled her eyes a bit, like she thought this was a little unnecessary, but she held onto him nonetheless. This was, by far, the easiest way up the stairs.

Yeah, she was pretty out of it at the moment.

When he sat her down and looked her straight on and told her she looked like shit, she chuckled humorlessly. She probably wasn't alright. She'd almost died. But that wasn't anything special at this point. She'd come home way more beat up than this. This was just the latest in a line of long and exhausting nights. And for what? The vampire population hadn't thinned at all. It was this town. This... fucked up town.

She ignored his question and looked around his apartment a bit, her head seemed a bit heavy. "The place is coming along," she noted. "I mean, you could use some decorations. Kind of a... serial killer, bachelor vibe with the plain walls." She knew he had just moved in a couple of days ago, so she was just giving him shit. She looked back at him and smirked a bit, though it was far more tired than the ones she had given him the first day they met. It fell off her face pretty quickly, too.

"What you saw... last night," she started. She shook her head hopelessly. "I do this... every night." For a moment, Lennon seemed a lot older than she looked. The voice, the tired eyes... "I'm tired," was all she said again, her eyes blinking heavily. She wasn't going to pass out on him or anything, she was just really damn tired. Both in the sense that she hadn't slept and of her life in general. But... he'd literally run away the night before, so it was probably bad of her to bring it up now. She didn't really know what she was doing here. She could take care of herself. She had been for a while, and he didn't deserve to have this dumped on his doorstep when she was perfectly capable of cleaning herself up, collapsing into bed, and taking whatever shit Devin was going to give her for it. He was going to think she was weak as hell for this and she just didn't want to deal with that right now.

"Sorry, I... I forgot you don't do well with blood," she said. Her hand was still on her stomach where there was a nice blossom of blood. It might need a couple of stitches, but she could do that herself, too. She sat up a bit, wincing at the pain in her side and her stomach. Before she tried to stand again, she looked up at Cohen with a serious gaze with an apologetic slant to her brows. "This town's got a lot of it, Cohen. You should leave."

 

[manatee]

Honestly, he hated himself right now. He wasn’t too sure what sort of humanity had opened up inside of him. And of course this new stirring inside of him would happen as he was essentially handing Lennon everything she clearly loved to hate. Well, he technically didn’t know that, he just knew that she’d killed a vampire right before his very eyes. He honestly would have too, being put in a situation where the light was on the line. But, the thing that scared him was the fact that not only had she had a knife handy, she’d also had a genuine stake.

At the mention of his place, Cohen looked around and chuckled softly. He’d at least gotten a couch, and a bed in his bedroom. Some books he’d brought with him were stacked haphazardly around the living room, and there was another chair adjacent from the couch. It definitely didn’t look filled, or even cozy, but it did look like a normal twenty-something’s new apartment, and that was the story he’d stick with.

“Well, it’s rough, but it’ll do for now,” he mentioned as he lowered himself into the vacant chair across from her. She was still bleeding, but he didn’t feel as overwhelmed as he had last night. That had been bad. Even though he’d had plenty of time to figure out how to gain control, it was still hard. There was never going to be a day in his life that the smell or sight of blood didn’t affect him, he had accepted that fate a long time ago. Now though, at least the switch didn’t get flipped inside of him and he didn’t lose as much control as before.

Lennon probably needed to go get her arm looked at, and Cohen knew he didn’t have any sort of first aid supplies around the house. There was no need for him, he was always a fast healer. Cohen also had been trying to stay away from trouble, trying to lay low as he figured out some things. More specifically, if the woman who had turned him was still around, and if he was still able to tear her apart limb by limb for the monster she’d created in him.

“A lot of blood,” he managed, running his hands over the thighs of his jeans for a moment before looking towards Lennon. “Do you need to get that looked at?” He knew she was telling him he needed to leave, but Cohen had work to do still. There were some things he needed to figure out, some business he needed to take care of. It had been made infinitely times harder now that he knew vampire hunters were a necessity around town. It also made him hopeful. Vampire hunters were nothing without vampires to hunt.

Where was he going to go with this angle? How was he going to present this information to her without her getting suspicious? Well, the best thing was to just stay quiet and act as if nothing was wrong. “Do you need a glass of water?” Cohen didn’t even wait for a response, he was already pushing himself up out of his chair to grab one of the bottled waters he’d grabbed at the store after yesterday’s events. “What do you mean,” he poked, he prodded, handing her the open bottle before sitting down.

“Every night you kill something that’s not quite human and then go about your normal day?”

 

[zooka]

"I've got stuff in my apartment," Lennon informed Cohen when he asked if she needed anything looked at. She couldn't just go to the hospital for everything.

Lennon took the offered water, though she only took a sip of it before she just held it in her hands. She shook her head at his question but kept looking down. "I... kill them every night and then I... report to the police to help close missing persons cases." Usually, the missing person was the vampire she just staked. "And then I report to my..." She shook her head again. She didn't know how to describe him anymore. He was the closest thing she had to a father but... that wasn't saying much anymore.

"My trainer." That was a shit explanation. "I get a couple hours of sleep, go train, and then... do it again." This was her whole life. She looked up at him.

"Except... a couple days ago, I met you and... I just wanted to do something... normal." God, she was so tired and it showed by how jus the thought of it nearly made her a little teary. Her voice was a bit tighter when she continued. "So I went out... furniture shopping," she let out a humorless chuckle. It was so stupid, now that she thought of it. "And then I went to training and went out and... well, you were there."

She sighed because that had worked out really terribly for both of them. "And then I had to tell him that a... 'civilian' witnessed it last night and we have certain things we do. We... debrief them, or whatever, which I'm... obviously amazing at," she said, gesturing between them with another sarcastic huff of laughter. "But he was really pissed, so-" Her side throbbed at the memory and her face tightened again. She gripped the water bottle a little tighter and shifted uncomfortably, one hand sliding away wrap around her own midsection.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm telling you any of this. I just haven't really slept the last couple of days and... I just, uh... You should... You shouldn't stay here, Cohen." Her eyes were on him and serious once again.

 

[manatee]

As soon as those words fell out from her mouth, Cohen froze. Wait, she’d told someone that he’d witnessed what had happened last night? This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all. There was no way that Cohen was going to sit down with someone else and have the judge and decipher every move he made and every comment he had. That wasn’t going to end well for anyone at all.

But something else was pulling at his heart. Something that he’d never really experienced before. Lennon had simply wanted to spend time with him. In spite of all that was going on, in spite of a human currently bleeding on his couch, in spite of the fact that he was no going to be a target for vampires and vampire hunters in this stupid town, Cohen grinned. “Well, I am a bit irresistible,” he teased, looking up at her from across the small living room.

“I can’t leave.”

There was no way that Cohen was going to leave now, no way when he’d literally just had the assurance that he might find answers back here. Seeing that vampire had just proven that he’d taken the right steps into coming home. He was going to get vengeance on whoever turned him. He was going to finally be able to start roaming the earth as a solitary, sad individual. He could finally just be done with it all, once he finally knew where and why it had begun.

If he left, he’d be without a lot of answers. There would have been no point to any part of his life, and Cohen couldn’t handle that. It was a lot of unanswered time; it was a lot of useless living. “Debrief me, inform me, but I can’t leave.” It was almost like something was on the verge of snapping for him, there was something that was stirring inside of him, a hunger like no other. Desperation. He was standing now, pacing slightly, hands in his hair. What was actually going on? Not with the town, but with this scenario? Why did he feel like he owed this girl something. He felt like he needed to use whatever bit of him was left to protect her. Not physically - she clearly had that under control - but in so many different ways.

“I could help you.”

 

[zooka]

Cohen's intense insistence had Lennon's brows furrowing. I can't leave. He needed to leave. She had no idea what he thought was keeping him here, but it wasn't more important than his life.

"What you saw? That was... nothing. That's the tip of the iceberg. Even by... supernatural standards, this place is unnatural. Whatever you think you have heard or know or have read or watched in some shitty movie about this, it's... all wrong. And..." she shook her head. "And somehow... all true. I mean, this place breaks all the rules. It's cursed. And if you stay here? You'll die." She really didn't that to happen.

"Whatever you think is here for you, it's already probably gone. And you can't help me. You've... already done more than anyone else, but you don't need to do anything more."

She didn't know how he might take that, though. He obviously had... something drawing him here. Or keeping him here. Whether it was something to do with the family he said used to reside here or something else, she figured she should try to get him to drop it. That might be harder than she thought though. He was oddly... unphased by all of this.

"Unless you want to help me up to my apartment," she told him. She supposed he could help her with that much. She needed to get to her first aid kit and shower and sleep. Especially if she was going to face Devin tomorrow after ditching early tonight. And getting hurt. She hoped that deep down it was fear and worry he didn't know how to properly express, but she also didn't have that much faith in him anymore.

"I'd crash on your couch but I'd probably bleed all over it," she teased.

 

[manatee]

​

Maybe he was being too insistent, maybe he was slowly spinning out of control, but sometimes emotions were hard to control. He wasn’t going to let this go. He was going to get answers. There was so much he wanted to know, so much he needed to know. He’d only just gotten here, he’d worked up the courage for years and years, he wasn’t leaving just because some girl was asking him to leave. The way she was asking him though, it was different. It was almost as if she was genuinely concerned for him. They’d only just met. But Cohen couldn’t even remember the last time someone had shown concern for him.

Cohen closed his eyes for a moment, pinched his fingers over the bridge of his nose. He knew what he was here for was gone, they’d been gone hundreds of years ago. But the answers, they were out there somewhere, he knew it. It was hard for him to even speak, because he was getting angry, and this was all too much, there was so much to process, Cohen didn’t know where to begin. He did know that he didn’t want it to get out of control, though.

“Jesus Lennon, listen!”

His voice came out louder than anticipated, and he flinched slightly. “I know what you’re talking about, I”ve heard those things before. I know you think that I don’t have a fucking clue, but I do. I could help you.” She was going to need help eventually. And, him helping her would help him out as well. It would give him a better knowledge of things going on around him. It would be kind of like having the upper hand.

She wasn’t having it though, and so he sighed, sitting back down as she said he could help her to her apartment. “Can’t have blood on my new couch, you know how I feel about it,” he joked, though the air still felt still and heavy around the two of them. She couldn’t stay here though, because he’d be spending his night brooding and pouring over old journals he’d kept and collected throughout his years - things she didn’t need to be able to see.

“Come on, I”ll help you up.” It didn’t take long before he was putting an arm around her, taking the water bottle and sitting it on the floor before he helped her up off of the couch. Cohen figured that she could probably walk this time, and she was more alert than she’d been when he’d first carried her into his apartment. Once they’d navigated the stairs together, Cohen lingered in her doorway.

“I’m not so easy to get rid of.”

 

[zooka]

Lennon turned once she was inside her apartment to look at him where he lingered in the doorway. She slid out of her jacket as she did and the blood on her shirt was a bit more obvious, as well as the dried blood on her arm. She wore a light grey tank top and athletic leggings under the military jacket. She slid her hat off as well and the cut there was still looking pretty fresh. She dropped those things onto the hook next to the door.

"What do you mean you... know about this kind of stuff? You can't just... drop something like that on me and leave." She left the door open for him to maybe come in and explain himself a bit. "Just... come in. Sit. What do you mean?" She wanted an explanation from him. It was making a strange bit of sense, though. He'd been in the cemetery the previous night and there was something about him.

Her apartment was an open layout, but pretty large for a studio. She'd utilized the space pretty well and used some wall dividers and her couch and stuff to give a bit more separation to the different areas. Her bed was on a loft above the kitchen and she had a bookshelf and one of those big, soft, bean bags up there, too. She didn't have a TV, but she did have a record player and a lot of records. The only enclosed room was, of course, the bathroom, and she went through the door to that, but left it open so he could talk to her if he did take her invitation to come in. She went under the sink for the first aid kit and opened it up in front of her to get to work. She left the door open so she could hear him. She didn't think he'd be looking over because, as he'd already stated, he didn't do well with blood.

Her tank top was peeled up, a bit slowly and not without discomfort, and the top of her athletic leggings were folded down so she could get to the spot on her stomach. She broke an icepack and, first and foremost, ace wrapped it to her side, which was showing a nice myriad of purple, red, and yellow bruising. Then, she opened up a bit of rubbing alcohol to deal with the open wounds. Everyone's favorite part of the process, for sure.

 

[manatee]

To say that Lennon’s apartment was a lot nicer than his was an understatement. As he entered the apartment, he took in his surroundings, mostly looking for more stakes or anything else that could potentially maim him. Everything looked just like a normal girl’s apartment, nothing that Cohen hadn’t seen before. That didn’t mean things weren’t here, he could almost guess that there were things that would keep her safe hidden all around this room. Cohen wasn’t going to take any chances. He did as she instructed, moving into the living room and took a seat on her couch. He watched as she made her way into the bathroom, eyes looking down to the floor as she started lifting up her shirt.

Lennon didn’t know what she was getting herself into. She had no idea that Cohen was on the very brink of not being able to control himself. There was blood, there was skin, there was too many things that set all of his senses aflame. “Do you,” he managed, standing up to move into the doorway of the bathroom, “do you always let men you barely know into your apartment?”

Cohen’s eyes met hers in the mirror and he propped himself up against the doorway. From the way she was dressing her wounds, it was like she had done this thousands of times. He had so many questions for her. What was all of this coming from? How did she get into the business of hunting vampires? That surely wasn’t something you just stumbled upon. He couldn’t start asking things all at once though, that would certainly raise suspicions. He didn’t need that, he’d already done a terrible job at laying low. Here he was, standing around with a half naked killer in front of him. This was some weird twisted, fantasy. It had to be.

“I’ve moved around, a lot. I’ve seen a lot of things. I’ve met people along the way.” There he went. He figured it was better to stick with the vague route. The questions got answered, but there was still room for him to come up with excuses as he went along. “There were definitely some times I had to defend myself from some….thing like we saw last night.” It wasn’t a lie. Vampires got into it all the time.

 

[zooka]

Do you always let men you barely know into your apartment?

Truthfully, no. Absolutely not. She rarely invited anyone in, in fact. Invitations were a thing in her world but... well, Lennon kind of immediately trusted Cohen. Something about his eyes, the warmth of his smile, the way he'd joke with her...

And now, the way he'd been looking out for her and the fact he didn't think she was absolutely insane.

She turned toward him, one hand resting on the sink and propping her up. It wasn't for support this time, though. She actually stuck her hip out with a bit of an attitude and it curved her torso like cobra winding up against its prey, though it was a bit more sultry than it was threatening. She cocked her head to the side.

"I think I can defend myself," she pointed out to him. He'd seen what she could do first hand. She wasn't as fast or as strong as a vampire, but she'd been training most of her life and she was smart and effective.

She turned back to the mirror so she could see her wound head-on. She glanced down at it, too. It could probably use a couple of stitches. Or more. But she didn't feel like dealing with that right now. She unwrapped a bunch of gauze form a roll and just kind of packed it on. Then, she laid a square gauze over that and taped it down. Stitches would probably tear anyway. She was sure to attract some vampires on her next patrol and the fight would just open anything she tried to close up. It'd heal... eventually. She just needed to keep it clean.

She flipped the hem of her leggings back up over it. They were higher-waisted so it covered the gauze and held it in place a bit better. She left her shirt folded up over her chest, though, because the ice pack would just bulge out anyway. She slid past him back out into the kitchen after that and went for the fridge. On top of it, a few bottles were in various states of empty, but she had plenty of brown liquor. "Help yourself," she informed him. They both needed a drink, probably. She opened up the freezer and grabbed a frosted bottle of vodka and poured herself a couple fingers in the bottom of a rocks glass and then walked over to the couch again, setting her glass down on the coffee table and leaning back, pressing the bottle to her head like the truly classy image of self-care that she was.
"Lot's of people 'move around a lot' and never notice a single vampire. You're looking for something, or else you wouldn't have seen anything." She reached forward and tossed back a bit of the clear liquid in her glass before looking at him again. "So what is it?"

 

[manatee]

What sort of story would this make? It would be funny to some, to know that he was here, with someone who wanted his kind dead. And Cohen understood that. He really did. There was such a thing as a good vampire, but they were very few and far between. Typically younger vampires were the ones who were out and about, still struggling with the balance between the dead and undead. Cohen had lived that life so long ago that it almost felt like a whole other eternity to him.

Try as he might, Cohen was having a very hard time letting his eyes leave her body. He was going to be a gentleman, he didn’t need anymore trouble on his plate right now. He’d already gotten into a huge mess of it from even mentioning that he knew what vampires were. What kind of idiot was he? And what was he supposed to say to that? Oh well, I know because I spend most of my days hearing heartbeats unnaturally and spending my time lusting for human blood. Oh, and the garlic thing - not true. There was nothing Cohen could say. If he said it, one of them wouldn’t be living. Or, whatever he was currently doing. Not living.

Following Lennon into the kitchen, Cohen poured himself a healthy pour of whiskey. This wasn’t a good combination, but he wasn’t going to turn down alcohol in the moment. The mix of skin, blood, and alcohol was just going to be the tip of the iceberg, but clearly Cohen wasn’t one to have common sense. He’d just gotten rid of every sort of rule and regulation. Why be rational? He’d already screwed up.

Something about watching her throw back the shot went right to Cohen’s head, and he knew that when they met his eyes were dark with lust. As long as she mistook it for sexual lust, he was fine with that. He looked away quickly, his grip tightening so much so on her countertop that the chances of it splintering under his strength grew higher with each second.

“You caught me,” he admitted. Might as well get most of his story out on the table so she’d think that he was telling her the truth and hopefully stop prodding. “I think some fucked up stuff was happening in my family. From a long time ago.” This was a good story, this was a good direction to go in. “It makes sense right? Why do I know what vampires are? Maybe it’s been a thing in my family for a long, long time.”

Cohen could tell that she wasn’t pulling her shirt down because of the ice pack, but he needed her to get the skin and the blood covered up. “Can you put a shirt on,” he pleaded, letting go of the counter top before it snapped at the point he was holding. “You can even have mine if you need a bigger one.”

​

 

[zooka]

Lennon leaned back again, eyeing him curiously. She couldn't tell if his story was true or not. She couldn't tell what exact brand of uncomfortable she was making him. It was all just very... curious. She relented easily enough, though she was a bit slow about it. She set the bottle down next to the glass, took another drink, and then pushed herself to a slow stand to walk over to the closet against the wall. It was mostly just hanging clothes and a couple of open shelves, though there was a dresser to the side of it. It was an open setup, like the rest of her apartment, so he could see as she pulled down a light grey t-shirt from a hanger. It was sleeveless and cut up but comfortable.

And she wasn't going to walk all the way over to the bathroom right now to switch a shirt, so she just kept her back to him and peeled out of the tank. It was a slow, careful process, but she was in some pain right now. She pulled the t-shirt on over it, talking as she did.

"I haven't had a chance to look into them yet," she told him. "Been kind of busy." As he could clearly see.

"But... I want to help you." She made her way back over to the couch and took a seat, folding one leg in and holding onto her ankle. "If you want to start with the police station, I usually check in there in the morning. You can come with, they might be able to look into your family. Or I can play hooky from training for a day and we can go to the local library. I know most people in town." She didn't know if he was going to take her up on her offer. "As a thank you. For tonight. Sorry I was such a mess earlier."

There was a reason I collided into you.​

 

[manatee]

Okay, it seemed that Lennon was going along with his story. If she was willing to look into his family for him, well, that was something. The only thing with this plan though, was that he had to constantly be a step ahead of her. He had to make sure that whatever she uncovered was okay to be uncovered. Anything that could possibly give him away, all of that stuff had to be hidden. The hard part was, he didn’t know what was going to be found. Cohen had no idea what his parents and siblings had left once he’d gone.

“Let’s not involve police,” he responded instantly, before rubbing against the scruff of his beard. “I don’t have a very good track record.” False. It was false, but he didn’t want anymore people involved in this than had to be. There was no need, it would only be more people he had to keep an eye on. There was more room for him to slip up, more room for him to make mistakes when there were multiple people on his back. Especially if those people wanted him dead. Wanted him dead for something he didn’t even choose.

He poured himself another glass of whiskey and tossed it back before refilling once more before he headed to the couch. His leg bumped against Lennon’s as he sat down, and he felt something stir inside of him again. What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he get himself together? Honestly, the best move for him to make would be for him to just go back to his apartment. He could meet up with Lennon tomorrow, he could find out what she found out in her investigation and things could be normal. It would be a lot easier if he did that.

But why now would Cohen start thinking reasonably? There wouldn’t be any cause for that. Maybe he’d read all of the signals wrong, maybe he’d gotten Lennon all wrong, but he was pretty sure there was something there. Clearly his plan of avoiding her was going very well. Setting his glass down on the coffee table, he angled his body towards her.

“Fuck me,” he muttered under his breath, finally just pushing every thought out of his head. He leaned in, grabbing her chin with one of his hands and before she could protest, pressed his lips against hers. Whatever he was feeling in the moment, it was like nothing he’d ever felt before.
Pulling back, he dropped his hand from her face, but kept his eyes locked on hers.

 

[zooka]

Lennon raised one of her dark, angular brows at him when he confessed he had a bad track record. Him? Okay, so he had the tattoos, but he also had the sweetest, puppy dog face she'd ever seen. And he was kind of a softie. And a little bit... bumbly. Not a full-on bumbling idiot, but... bumbly. In a cute way, of course. So she just had trouble believing him but she also had trouble believing he knew anything about vampires when he obviously knew something.

"You're a mystery, aren't you, Cohen?" she wondered out loud, softly, turning to look at him as he sat down next to her.

It was very easy to just be close to him and soon it would be obvious just how easy it was. When he pressed his lips to hers, she was struck by the coolness, reminiscent of the bottle of vodka and the liquid she'd drained from it. She inhaled, surprised. The sensation didn't last long, though, because it was replaced by heat rushed in soon after and she found herself exhaling into the kiss and pressing more deeply into it. He was pulling away entirely too soon, too.

It had been a while since someone had been there for her like this. Taking care of her, caring, period. Gathering her into their arms. Kissing her, certainly. It had been a long time. And it was kind of overwhelming. She wasn't drunk by any means. She also wasn't dizzy anymore, at least, not from the bump on her head. Maybe sleep deprivation had a little to do with it but... honestly, she'd been feeling this instant connection with Cohen from the very start.

She rolled her lips in as she looked back at him, her tongue tasting what was leftover on her lips, feeling the slight crack there but also savoring the taste of whiskey and also him. She tried to think about the most rational thing to do here. Should she be kissing this mysterious stranger? Definitely not. She should probably be sleeping and not... uh, climbing on top of anyone, but she was also not the most responsible person in the room. And, apparently, that was saying something considering the current company.

Lennon threw her arms around his neck, pushing back into him and kissing him once more. The head-spinning heat that came with it made it easy to ignore any pain that might have stirred in her, but she didn't care much about that right now anyway. She just wanted to feel his lips again. She liked how normal he had made her feel, even if just for a day, and now? Now he was saying he knew about all the abnormal things she knew about. This was actually someone she could connect with. Who she did connect with.

 

[manatee]

Honestly at this point, Lennon should have just gone ahead and driven a stake right into his heart. He was pretty much offering himself up on a silver platter to her at this point. It was like everything he’d learned for the past decades was thrown out the window. He had to stop and wonder, what was it about her that made him want to throw it all away? Was this something bigger than Cohen had ever imagined? Was this something more than he’d ever hoped for, ever even thought about anymore as a vampire.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have,” he apologized instantly. What sort of person did he look like right now? Let me worm my way into your apartment and then take advantage of you. He’d broken every rule he’d ever set up for himself in one night. He couldn’t even blame it on being drunk, he hadn’t enough for that yet.

His apology was looked over quickly, because Lennon was kissing him back, really kissing him back. It took Cohen about two seconds for his mouth to respond to her, the mix of vodka and whiskey was enough to send him a headrush. This was one of Cohen’s favorite ways to get the blood rush off of his mind, and now it was sort of combining with both. Though as Lennon pushed back against him, there was very little thoughts of the blood rushing through her veins. Very little at all.

There wasn’t any point that Cohen wanted to stop this. He could have kept going, kept kissing her until it turned into more. Already he could feel his fingertips finding their way to her waist, finding any sort of place where they could connect to warm skin. He had to stop though, he had to gain some control before he went spiraling out of it. Breaking the kiss again, he kept leaned into the woman sitting beside him, not quite ready to pull away just yet.

“I don’t normally make my way into a woman’s apartment and then kiss them,” he announced, though his head was foggy with the sensations that were still exploding inside of him. Cohen didn’t think Lennon minded, but he also knew that he didn’t want to be seen as that guy. The last thing he needed was for some experienced hunters to gang up on him because he’d been taking advantage of one of their own. That wasn’t even touching who he was.

Get up and leave. All he needed to do was stand up right now, tell Lennon goodnight and say he’d meet her in the morning. It was that easy. But no, when had Cohen listened to voice of reason since he’d stepped foot into this godforsaken town? It was like why not through the last piece of reserve out of the window. And also, every time any part of her body touched his bare skin he felt on fire. He almost felt alive. Her hands at his neck weren’t enough, and never breaking eye contact with her, he reached up, tugged the back of his shirt up and over his head, letting the fabric fall to the floor. He was sighing now, reaching back out to pull her as close to him as she could. “Christ,” he muttered, his lips brushing against her earlobe before finding their way back to her mouth.

 

[zooka]

"Yeah, well..." Lennon broke the kiss a couple of times if only to breathe and speak, but she definitely made sure she was still pressing kisses to his lips or his neck. "I don't exactly invite a lot of guys up here, so..."

She pulled away for a long moment and looked at him with one of her devilish smirks. "I guess you're just special."

The rest of that night or... morning, probably, was spent with him on the couch. Neither of them seemed to want to pause long enough to climb the ladder to her lofted bed and the couch was just fine. It had been a minute since she'd actually been with someone so it wasn't a total surprise that this was all happening so fast. And she didn't really seem to care if he was careful with her or not, considering her injuries. She just wanted to feel close to him. And she definitely did.

After, though, she was tired. Tired enough that she just pulled a throw blanket over the two of them as she laid on his chest and closed her eyes. She didn't really give him much of an option when it came to staying or leaving. She wrapped an arm around him, closed her eyes, and fell into probably the best sleep she'd had in awhile.

It didn't last as long as it should have, however. It was well into the morning when there was a pounding on her door. It jolted Lennon awake and she looked up immediately toward the sound.

"Shit," she whispered harshly. God, that was probably Devin. Shit, shit, shit. This was bad. "Go," she whispered again. "Bathroom. Hide." She was practically shoving him toward the bathroom. "And don't come out. For anything."

If Devin caught her like this? He'd be beyond pissed at her. There was more pounding. Lennon was pulling on her leggings and the t-shirt from the previous night. "I'm coming, Jesus Christ, shut up," she yelled through the door. That only made him pound louder. She was shoving any clothes that Cohen hadn't managed to take with him into the bathroom into the couch, along with the second glass on the coffee table, and covering it with the blanket before she finally went to open the door.

"Christ, what?! You're going to wake up the whole-"

"And where the fuck have you been? You didn't finish your patrol, you didn't check in with the cops, I thought you were dead," Devin said, pushing his way into her apartment along with Lennon and shutting the door. He was in her face. He hadn't slept yet, obviously. His dark hair and beard, peppered with grey, were unkempt and there were dark circles under his eyes that had been there for as long as Lennon remembered.

"Yeah? I almost did die last night, I barely made it back to my apartment, sorry I couldn't call you while I was passed out," she told him defensively. It was true enough. That's how her night had started.

"And who's fault is that?" Devin snapped. He only made it seem like he cared that she died when he could rub it in her face that it was an inconvenience to him.

"Yours! You beat the shit out of me in training yesterday, I was tired, I could barely-"

"I'm not going to take it easy on you just because you're tired, Lennon, we're all tired! You still need to learn how to block."

"And you don't need to hit me this hard," she snapped back, pulling her shirt up enough to see the bruising over her ribs. Those muscles and ligaments and tendons, they were all connected to movements in the arm and torso and it made it really hard to defend herself against a vampire and Devin knew it.

Devin didn't seem to appreciate the guilt trip, but he wasn't completely immune to it. "The monsters out there aren't going to pull their punches. I'm trying to prepare you."

Lennon took a deep breath and closed her eyes, hoping the next part was going to come out as cooly and calmly and firm as possible. "I need. To rest. I'm not training today. I will patrol tonight, but I need a break." She opened her eyes and looked at him again. He was glaring at her, but it wasn't as if he could drag her there. He turned once again and went for the door.

"Fine. But don't come crying to me if it gets you killed."

Lennon rolled her eyes. She couldn't cry to anyone if she was dead, but she just wanted him to leave so she didn't point that out. She waited until his footsteps disappeared down the hall, took a deep breath, and then went over to the bathroom door, sighing once more at Cohen. "That... was my trainer. He's a little intense." Obviously.

 

[manatee]

No regrets. It was too late for them now. He’d already crossed over any sort of line that was going to keep him from every seeing Lennon again. It appeared that both of them were prepared to cross every single one of the lines. Multiple times, to Cohen’s delight. That was one of the perks of being a vampire - impressive energy and stamina. And for someone who was tired, Lennon certainly was holding her own. There was no time for him to leave, but Cohen didn’t protest, he just wrapped his arm around her and laid still against the cool material of her couch.

The pounding on the door had him up with a start and he didn’t have a moment to gather any sort of clothes and found himself standing completely naked in Lennon’s bathroom. What was happening? He stilled, frozen completely, as the knocking ceased and he heard someone enter the apartment. This was it. This was how he was going to go. He was going to go completely nude in someone’s bathroom. Classic. It would at least pay homage to old Cohen. In his own hometown, how fitting.

It was amazing to him how still he could get, how not breathing really could get him that still and silent. It was a good skill to have. Cohen was sure he didn’t even blink until he could hear the man leaving and Lennon shutting the door behind him. The man seemed insane, truly, but Cohen couldn’t fault him for it. He didn’t know what all the human had seen. If it was anything like he’d seen, he understood why there was so much paranoia and intensity coming from the man. But yelling at Lennon, he didn’t like that at all. Cohen couldn’t let himself think about it right now or he’d get out of control.

When the door opened, Cohen started at Lennon for a moment in shock before making his way out of the bathroom. Not even thinking about still needed to get dressed, he looked towards the door before looking back to her again. “Intense?!” He tried to keep his voice down, just in case the man was still hanging out in the apartment hallway. “I’m pretty sure from the sounds of it, I would have been dead if he’d seen me.” And not even because he wasn’t a human.

Remembering he didn’t have any clothes on, Cohen looked absently around the room, trying to find where she’d hidden them. “What did you do with my pants?” He at least needed to get something on, not that Lennon hadn’t seen all of him last night. Just thinking about him made him want to blush, if he even still had that ability.

“So that’s what you have to deal with on a daily basis? How did that come about?”

 

[zooka]

Lennon seemed to consider his theory about Devin killing him if he'd been discovered. Yeah... probably. She nodded nonchalantly and gave him a once over, smirking ever-so-slightly. He was definitely a sight to see, and she wasn't all that inclined to answer his question about where his pants were.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she asked with a brow raised.

She was only joking, though. It wasn't like she was entirely decent, either. The t-shirt she wore was thin and low on the sides. And she definitely wasn't staying in it. She needed a shower. She went over and tried to find where his pants might be, buried somewhere in the couch.

"He... um, he took me in. When I was little. My parents, well... you can imagine what happened to them in this town. And Devin raised me. Which sounds really altruistic, but... he basically does it will all the orphans around here and trains them like his own personal army." She shrugged at him. That was her life. After last night and the night before? Well, he pretty much knew everything there was to know about her now and he could take it or leave it at this point.

She found his pants and then held them out for a moment, but she quickly pulled them back and slung them over her shoulder momentarily. "Unless... you need to shower?" She figured he might want to do that. She didn't know if he wanted to do it here, but... well, she was here, so...

She figured that it was a valid offer for him. Regardless, one thing was obvious. Lennon bounced back pretty quickly. She might have been a mess last night, but she seemed fine now.

 

[manatee]

So there were more of whatever Lennon, and this man Devin had become. Honestly, he was impressed. Rarely did he go into towns and find legit vampire hunters.Which of course, didn’t really surprise him about here. There was definitely something that was haunting this town, and had been for a very long time. Cohen wondered briefly if they’d ever encountered the woman who turned him - if she was even alive. Part of him hoped that they had, that this would all be over, but then part of him wanted to do the honors himself. “I get it,” he answered, watching her for a moment, wondering just exactly what kind of stigma she had for every single person that had been turned. “I can’t imagine how that must have felt.” And he couldn’t. He had been on the opposite side of that situation. Sometimes he wished he would have died back then. Anything besides this curse.

He wondered exactly how it would work, now that Lennon was spending time with him. Cohen prefered to sneak around, to hide himself away from Devin - he was older, and a man. It would be much harder to put on the charm for someone like him. Cohen had been at this for a while, he knew that he didn’t give off vampire vibes anymore, but for someone skilled in that sort of thing, well, Cohen couldn’t be too sure. He’d have to be even more careful than he’d previously planned. This was starting to be a lot more than he’d even planned on. Part of that was his fault.

“My pants,” he replied in mock annoyance. He watched as Lennon tossed them over her shoulder, watched the edges of her t-shirt and what it barely covered, watched every inch of her before meeting her eyes again. “Oh, you think we might need a shower,” he was grinning now, moving towards her, not caring that he was completely exposed to her. Honestly, it didn’t take much for Cohen to look like this, and he was grateful for that in times like this. Thankful for the cut of his abdominal muscles and the shape of his arms.

Cohen’s eyes were dark again as he grabbed Lennon below her ass, putting her against his front as he moved his way to the bathroom. It didn’t take long for his lips to find the smooth skin of her neck, and he paused his walking, pressing a few kisses onto her skin before allowing his teeth to graze over the place he would have loved to bite. Truly bite.

“Yep, shower,” he managed, walking them into the bathroom.

After much longer than normal getting clean, Cohen was finally dressed in his old clothes, standing at Lennon’s door. He was hungry, he needed new clothes, and he needed to go think over some things. Clearly he wasn’t thinking while he was in here. “ I need to go change,” he let Lennon know, pressing a kiss to her lips. “Do you want to meet up at the town hall later?”

 

[zooka]

Lennon leaned into the kiss for a moment and then pulled away, opening her eyes before nodding at him. "Yeah," she told him. "After lunch, maybe? I think I'm actually going to get some more sleep." She said it with a little huff of laughter like she couldn't actually believe she was saying that. It had been a long time since she'd been able to sleep in like this. And she clearly needed it. Her body did, too.

"There's a cafe across the street. I'll probably need coffee so I'll stop there first if you want to meet me there."

It was a nice place to hang out. A little music, comfy couches, books and magazines. Whoever got there first would probably be fine waiting for the other. She pulled her lip in between her teeth for just a moment and then gave him a little wave goodbye. She couldn't keep him all day. That was a little... clingy. Which Lennon definitely was not. It was just different with Cohen. They had an obvious connection and it had kind of... exploded last night. And... earlier in the shower. She let him go, closing the door behind her and then walking back over to the couch. She was still in her towel and decided not to change that. She just laid back down where they'd been sleeping earlier, pulled the blanket back over, and tried to fall asleep again.

It wasn't too difficult. Not difficult at all, actually. Besides just being tired from life, Cohen had done a fine job wearing her out. She slept pretty heavily for at least a couple more hours. Her body didn't really allow her that much sleep anymore, but this was actually pretty heavy and relaxing.

She had a strange, drifting dream as she woke up, though. She swore she heard knocking on the door, heavy and angry like before. She remembered the yelling. She remembered... Devin yelling at Ben. Their fight before he left. Whether he had been fed up with Devin or fed up with this life, Lennon hadn't been enough of a reason to stay. And she couldn't leave this town. It needed her. And it was all she knew.

She pulled herself up out of her sleep, rubbing at her eyes. She was pretty sure it was just a dream this time but she checked the door anyway. No one was there, as suspected, and she decided it was probably time to get dressed and make her way over to the cafe.

 

[manatee]

​

Agreeing to meet after lunch worked out perfectly for Cohen. It gave him time to drink some of the blood he’d stored and hidden away in his apartment. He would have preferred something more fresh, even if it was only animal blood at this stage in his life, but he was still a little paranoid. He didn’t know if anyone would be watching him, and he didn’t want to be noticed as the strange man who went walking deep into the woods. He’d have to wait until nightfall for that - and even then he’d have to find a time that he wasn’t spending with Lennon.

Changing clothes and getting himself together, he headed out the door, making sure to lock up everything carefully behind him. Maybe at some point he needed to invest in another lock. There was just some point to being extra careful, and with all of the things he had to have with him out of his secret, he needed to keep things all under lock and key.

The coffee shop was easy to find, nestled between a bookstore and an antique store. It was hard for Cohen to remember what had been here before, he was pretty sure that the coffee store had been the small general supply store. It was so long ago, and even though a lot of things were still the same, a lot of things were different too. Pushing open the door, Cohen’s eyes glanced around the building for any sign of danger before heading to the barista behind the counter.

He settled down at one of the empty tables, his back towards the side wall of the room. Cohen always wanted to make sure that he could see all exits - no surprises that way. He could see Lennon coming down the sidewalk before she noticed him inside, and he instantly grinned, dimples forming into their spots on each cheek. This was so bad, but it was too late now. There were so many thoughts and reasons that he needed to process, but he didn’t want to think about them right now.

Cohen stood when Lennon approached the table, a habit he’d had since the 1800s whenever a woman entered the room. “Can I get you anything,” he offered, gesturing over to the small line that had formed at the order counter.

 

[zooka]

Lennon walked in looking a lot more casual and less athletic than usual. She had a pretty edgy style when she wasn't having to dress in clothes that allowed for fighting and even then, elements worked their way in, like her jacket or her boots. She gave Cohen a small wave and, at his offer, shook her head. "I've got it," she informed him. When she turned to acknowledge one of the baristas, she got a nod back and a bright smile.

"She and I went to high school together," she said. "I haven't paid for coffee here... probably ever in my life."

Lennon had the hook up all over this town, it would seem. For the most part, people kept their distance from her. They were as old-fashioned as they could be with their opinions on tattoos and piercings and clothes, but they also knew that there was something weird happening and Lennon was one of the people who were dealing with it and allowing them to ignore it. And they were grateful for that.

"But what would you like? I'll see if I can sweet talk her," she said, giving Cohen a wink. It was a pretty done deal. She walked over to the barista in question. She had angular eyes that were further accentuated by playful makeup and a button nose. Her bluish-blonde hair was in two low space buns and she seemed excited to talk to Lennon.

"Who's the new guy?" she asked, raising a brow at him.

"Grace, this is Cohen. He just rolled into town a couple days ago and I'm showing him around."

"I'm sure you are," the girl said, leaning forward to prop an elbow on the counter and rest her chin in her hand. She had a little star drawn high on one cheek that gave the impression of a perpetual, cheeky wink.

 

[manatee]

“So that’s how it works around here,” Cohen teased, following after her to the counter. The girl behind the counter was cute, and he noticed her noticing him, which made his grin widen. It wasn’t like Cohen was oblivious to his looks, he understood that if the dimples weren’t grabbing attention then the tattoos were. Good looks were part of his camouflage. He’d styled his hair before leaving the house, and made sure his clothes were nice and wrinkle free. Part of that was from the lifestyle he’d initially been raised in - he always wanted the best, he always wanted to look the best. He didn’t think either of the ladies in his company minded.

Pulling at the front of his jacket, he leaned against the counter slightly, focusing his attention on Grace. It was the polite thing to do, really. “It’s nice to meet you, Grace,” he said, flashing another grin at her before looking over in Lennon’s direction. “She’s doing a great job at that, as well.” As far as showing him around, well, Lennon had certainly done something like that. He hadn’t minded it one bit.

“I’ll just take a latte,” he decided, after glancing up at the menu. It wasn’t like he was really drinking for any purpose other than to look normal. Though he had to admit, he had always enjoyed the warmth coffee brought. Maybe it was only an in his head thing, but that was one of Cohen’s favorite things. Coffee and alcohol.

“How long have you and Lennon been friends, then?” He turned his attention back to the barista, watching as she moved around behind the counter starting to make their order. Well, if this wasn’t just speeding things up completely. First he had sex with her and the next thing he knew he was chatting up one of her friends over coffee. Something had gotten into him. He had to figure out a way to get out of it, but he had a feeling that was going to be easier said than done.

 

[zooka]

"With this weirdo?" Grace asked as she started to get their shots espresso going. Lennon rolled her eyes. "As long as anyone can be, really." Grace talked about her like she was some elusive thing, which she was. "I moved here in sixth grade and no one thought to inform me not to be friends with her."

"Um, I informed you," Lennon reminded her. Devin had been insistent that she go to school but she was also training with him, so that meant she had a lot of late nights and a lot of missed homework and it was kind of hard to relate to the other, normal kids when she spent her nights learning how to kill things.

"Whatever. She seemed weird. And cool. Which is obviously my brand," she gave a little flourish with her hand next to her face. Lennon had to roll her eyes again. They were pretty polar opposite. Grace dressed like a fairy space princess half the time and Lennon almost constantly looked like she could kick the ass of anyone who dared step in her path. Truly, Lennon was pretty lucky that this strange girl had transferred to their school because she might not have had any friends outside of the "fosters" that Devin took in. And that could be a little much sometimes. A bunch of orphans and a surly substitute father feeding their lust for revenge? Yeah, no, she was lucky she had Grace.

"Lennon," Grace said, leaning back on the counter while some milk steamed. One arm was dangling down where Lennon couldn't see it and the other was propped again and she curled her finger to signal Lennon to lean down with her. She obliged.

"Yes, Grace?"

"Did you eat yet today?"

"I was getting to it." With that, Gracie revealed what she had been hiding. It was a bakery item and she shoved it right into Lennon's face, forcing the darker-haired beauty to stand back up and catch it before it crumbled and fell everywhere. "Gracie!" Her mouth was still full and she tried to chew what she had and wipe the crumbs off herself. Gracie just went back to steaming milk. She was definitely her own breed, that one, but Lennon was happy the weird little starchild was around.

 

[manatee]

Watching them both, it made him ache. He had known a love like that once, a love and comfort knowing the person completely and totally knew you. Cohen guessed that he would never feel that again, he’d never be able to let someone in like that again. It was the price, the price he was paying for this. It was the price he was paying for walking into that alley alone. It was the price he was paying for always going against what was asked of him. It was a punishment, a deep rooted lesson Cohen was learning from again and again.

He was brought back to attention from his name, and he shook his head slightly, forcing a smile on his lips as he took the coffee from the adorable girl looking up at him. “Sorry,” he mumbled, holding the cip with both hands and just absorbing some of the warmth before he raised it to his lips and took a sip. Looking down at Lennon, he offered her a bigger smile.

Cohen’s eyebrows shot up in the air as the food was shoved into Lennon’s mouth and he laughed, shaking his head slightly. “Well, if you weren’t hungry it’s a bit too late for that.” He made eye contact with Grace and held up his hands as best as he could with a full coffee mug. “Oh don’t worry about me, I’m good,” he teased, backing away from her.

Once they’d made their way back to their little corner of the coffee shop, Cohen sat, leaning himself into Lennon as they sipped on their drinks. “So you won’t get into trouble for not going to uhm, work today?” He didn’t want to just shout out training, but he also wanted to make sure he wasn’t getting her into trouble. He also needed to make sure no one was going to come after him wanting his head on a stick. Well, even more than they already would want it on a stick.