Two of a Kind (Vance Hopper)

Chapter 17.

Vance hesitated for a moment as he realized that she was awake. He lifted his arm from her and gently sat up, being careful not to move her too much. He smirked down at her and raised an eyebrow. "Morning Bottle Bitch," he teased lightly, trying to help ease the tension he could slowly feel starting to build between them. He didn't want her to push him away again.

She smiled softly at him, rolling her eyes at his comment. She slowly sat up, biting her lip to keep from groaning in pain. Her body hurt, but she felt well rested for the first time in awhile, and she was happy for once. "Good morning to you too," she chuckled, getting up and stretching. He smiled at her and went to the bathroom, pausing as he saw himself in the mirror. His blonde hair was a complete mess, his curls wild and untamed. He stepped back out and threw his hands up at her, confusing the girl.

"So you just weren't going to tell me that my hair looked like this? Huh?" He asked, earning a laugh from the girl who stood beside his bed. He smiled at her laugh, happy that he was the one who caused it. He pointed to his dresser that held his clothes. "My sweats and shirts are in there. Help yourself," he said before turning to go back into the bathroom.

She nodded and went to go grab a t-shirt and sweatpants. While at his dresser she noticed a half empty bottle of cologne and picked it up, smelling it. It smelled amazing, and just like Vance. She hesitated a moment before using it, figuring it would hold her over until she was able to take a shower. She changed and sat down on the bed, waiting for Vance to come back into the room. She looked around his room, noticing he kept it pretty decently clean and that he didn't have any photos of his family up. She wanted to ask, but she didn't want to bring up anything that he wasn't ready to tell her. She didn't want to chase him away. She was attached to him, almost too much for her comfort.

He soon walked out of the bathroom, his hair now tamed and ready for the day. He smiled as he saw her wearing his clothes again, the sight making him happier than he would ever be able to put into words. He moved to grab a pair of jeans and a wife beater, just like usual. He went to change, only disappearing for a few moments before he came back fully dressed and ready to go for the day. He grabbed his vest and put on his shoes as Kitt did the same. She stood up and smiled softly at him as he walked out the door with the redhead following close behind.

The pair made their way down to the Grab N' Go, Vance's usual hang out on Saturdays. She let her hair down, almost hiding behind it. Vance noticed, the fact that she felt like she had to hide her appearance due to her wounds pissed him off, but he didn't know how to make it better. He sucked on his teeth, looking away from her so she didn't get the wrong impression. He was trying his best to not take anything out on her. He didn't want her to be afraid of him. He didn't care if anyone else in this town was, but just not her. She was special.

     She noticed how other teens in the town seemed to pause and do a double take when they saw her face, and she hated it. She knew that she probably looked awful and that she may have a few new scars, but she hated how they looked at her. She felt like she was going to panic. She paused and grasped his wrist lightly, stopping him from continuing their walk. "I know you wanted to go play pinball, and if you still want to that's fine, but I think I want to go home and at least take a shower," she said softly, not wanting to ruin his day.

     He paused as he felt her grab his arm, looking back at her in shock. He knew why she wanted to go home, it was blatantly obvious. He hated how he could see her confidence leave the moment she saw other people. He pursed his lips for a moment at the suggestion that she would go home by herself. As if he would let that happen. He moved to hold her hand, making sure to be gentle with his movement. "I already told you I'm not letting you go back there alone, and I meant it. I can go play later, it's not like any of those dumbasses could beat my high score anyways," he teased, trying to at least get her to smile once more for him, which she did.

     "Thanks Vance," she said softly, squeezing his hand before starting to lead the way back to her house, still holding his hand without even thinking about it. He smiled brightly at the use of his name, liking the way it sounded when she said it. He looked down at their hands and felt a light blush on his cheeks at the fact she was holding his hand in front of everyone. He was proud.

     "That's the first time you've used my name, you know that?" He teased, making her look at him in surprise. She didn't realize that she had only been calling him Pinball Boy the entire time she had known him. He nodded at her look at disbelief, a grin on his face. He couldn't believe that such a small detail could make him so happy. It wasn't anything significant really, but it meant a lot to him.

     She smiled at him and rolled her eyes at his dramatics as they headed to her house, not noticing the nearby kids as they started to whisper again.