Two of a Kind (Vance Hopper)

Chapter 14.

     When she woke up, she wasn't in the same position as she had been left in. She was laying down, the blankets drawn up over her body and Vance was no where to be found. She slowly sat up, wincing slightly at how sore her body was. She looked out the window seeing the dark night sky. So she hadn't been asleep for too long, she assumed. She got up, debating on leaving for a moment when the door opened and the blonde boy walked into the room.

     He had obviously gone to get something for them to eat, if the bag in his hands was any clue to where he had been. She looked up at him as he set down the food. "How long have you been awake?" He asked, sitting down on the bed and beginning to dig around in the bag. He got what he wanted and handed the bag to Kitt, letting her know in his own way that he had gotten something for her as well. She took the sack, sitting on the bed next to him. She smirked as she saw he had gotten her a burger from the diner and a coke from the Grab N' Go. Guess he cared, at least a little.

     "I just woke up. Thanks for the food, I'm fucking starving," she said and went to take a bite of the burger, wincing slightly due to her lip. He glanced at her and gave a small chuckle at her. He nodded, moving to eat his own food as the comfortable silence settled between them once more. They finished their food quickly, both of them sneaking occasional glances at each other. Vance finished first, falling back onto the bed with a groan. She looked over at him as she finished her food, raising an eyebrow at his dramatics.

     He turned his head to look at her and smirked, an idea popping into his head. "How tired are you?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow. She furrowed her brows in confusion, wondering what he was planning. She shrugged. She wasnt' too tired in reality, slowly having gotten used to running on minimal sleep here lately. He quickly got up and offered her a hand, half expecting her to turn him down once more. She looked at his hand before taking it, using it to help her stand up. She walked to the bathroom and put on her converse before meeting him at the door.

    "Where are we going?" She whispered to him, staying quiet just in case his father was home. He turned to look at her, grinning mischievously. He took her hand again and began leading her out of the house. She followed him, wondering why he wasn't answering her question. She looked over at him, a small smile gracing her lips. She had missed him. She had fucked up, but it seemed like Vance missed her almost just as much. The thought of him missing her made her a little too happy, happier than she had been in a long time. She knew she was getting attached to him, and she knew it wasn't a good idea, but he made her feel like she was going to be okay.

     She squeezed his hand gently without thinking, earning a questioning look from the taller boy. She gave a sheepish smile and he rolled his eyes as he continued to lead her through the streets of their town. Finally they arrived to an abandoned house. She knew that if someone had actually taken care of the house that it would have been absolutely stunning. She smiled as he lead her around to the back. The backyard was breathtaking. In the middle of the yard was a huge fountain, which no longer worked, but it was beautiful nonetheless and the overgrowth made the smaller space look like oasis compared to other places in the town.

     While she was admiring the space, Vance was watching her. He liked the way life seemed to return to her eyes as she looked around the backyard. He led her over to the fountain and sat down on the side of it, letting her take her time in soaking it all in. She grinned as she looked around, the space only looking more magical as she noticed fireflies flying around them. How long had he known about this place? How many others knew? She stood beside him, finally feeling like she was at peace. "This is really fucking pretty," she muttered, earning a soft chuckle at her choice of words. Only Kitt would describe this place like that. He watched as she squeezed his hand before hesitantly dropping it to look around the area more.

     He started at his hand that she had dropped for a moment, wondering why he felt a little sad that she had let go. He furrowed his brows as he thought more about it. He knew he tolerated her more than most people and that he felt like he could relate more to her than others around here, but what was this about? The realization was slowly beginning to dawn on him; he liked Kitt Rhudy. He froze for a moment, wondering what he should do when she sat down beside him, still looking around. "How'd you find this place?" She asked him, turning to look at him, knocking him from his thoughts.

     He smirked, trying his best to keep his cool and act like he hadn't been thinking about her this entire time. "I found it when I was running from the cops a couple of years ago. Story is that this place is haunted," he said, pointing to the house. "So everyone avoids this place. I don't think anyone else really comes around here." She nodded at his words, happy to have one place that they could be, just the two of them.

     "You know I have to go back eventually," she mumbled, voicing her anxiety to him as he nodded. He knew she would have to go back, but this time he didn't plan to let her be alone. He refused to leave her in the house with her father anymore. He didn't want to see her looking this rough ever again. He reached over and took her hand gently, squeezing it softly.

     "Yea, I know. I hope you like having a roommate," he stated as if it was end of discussion. She looked over at him, confused by what he meant until she realized that he was saying that he was going to stay at her house with her. She shook her head no, ready to argue with him but he glared at her, daring her to say a word. She clenched her jaw as she looked at him. "I'm not just going to leave you there alone, are you fucking stupid? No, if you go back, I'm going with you," he declared, making sure there was no room to argue. She couldn't help the way her heart fluttered at his words, happy that if she had to go through hell that she at least had him who was willing to go through it with her.