bruce x vance

Chapter 1

There was a back-to-school excitement thrumming through the halls of Lawrence Free State High that bruce had never learned to understand. He longed for endless summers, sticky as they were, where he and his best friend Charlie could stay up all night watching every episode of Star Trek known to man and devouring as much junk food as their stomachs could possibly hold. And sure, they had spent the most recent summer doing just that, but it hadn't been long enough. Not for bruce.

As the last day of summer had ebbed into the night, bruce had stared out his window at the inky Chicago sky and sighed, willing the sun not to return. With the sun would come to school, and school meant grades and teachers and curfews and homework, none of which were on bruce's "Things That Are Awesome" list.

But despite bruce's efforts to wish away the Monday that would bring the first day back to school, it was inevitable, and so, there he was, backpack slung over one shoulder, Charlie jabbering away at his side, and swarms of his peers congregating in groups around him.

"I think today's meeting, aside from welcoming all of our new members and tipping our hats to the old ones, should include a strict set of rules that must be followed," Charlie said as she and bruce approached their lockers.

"Such as?"

"Well, for starters, we should discuss the reduction of LARPing in the hallways. After what happened with griffin last year, the Principal said he'd dispel our club immediately if we weren't more careful. I tried to explain to him it's not our fault griffin actually thought he had Jedi Mind Powers, but he wouldn't listen." Charlie already had her locker open and was hanging pictures of her and bruce, her favorite comic book characters, and images of her Hunter Heroici character, Codex, on the slick metal walls. bruce scowled at the photo of him in an extravagant crown sitting crooked on his head that had been taken during the LARPing championships the year prior but didn't ask her to remove it.

"griffin's a nut job," bruce commented with a smirk reminiscing on what the Fandom Club now fondly referred to as 'the incident.'

"griffin's on a Buffy kick as of late; he's got the hots for Gwen, which I can't say I blame him for, but hopefully he doesn't start thinking he's the Master and try to suck someone's blood," Charlie looked over at bruce for a response but found his gaze trained on a locker down the way from them as he watched Vance hopper shove a huge stack of thick course books into the small locker space. It was only the first day of school, but Vance was notorious for cramming all summer and then showing up on the first day of school having already studied for the first month of classes. When Vance shouldered his obviously lighter messenger bag and hurried off in the direction of the auditorium for the junior orientation meeting, bruce turned his attention back to Charlie, glowering at the look of pity on her face.

"Don't," he said closing his locker with a definitive click. "Not one word."

Charlie shouldered her book bag, schooling her face into a mask of innocence. "What," she shrugged.

"Don't gimmie that crap, charlie, I know that look." He followed her across the shiny linoleum, falling into step with the other juniors.

"What look?"

"It's the same look you gave me when you used Jigglypuff to kick my ass in Super Smash."

"A) That one time? bruce, please. And B) All I was going to say is: that some people never change. I mean, it's been what - over five years and he still shows no remorse for ditching you? Dick move."

Inside the auditorium, the walls were draped with the school colors and mascot, and bruce was so not prepared for the cringe-worthy level of school spirit the orientation was bound to require.