𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 • 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲

chapter three

the boy froze as soon as he saw bruce, and bruce froze as well. not necessarily in panic, though, it was more in shock. he hesitantly opened the window a little. "who the fuck are you-? and what are you doing here?" the boy didn't reply, still not daring to move. although, the light managed to hit his face just right so bruce could make out his features and, unfortunately for both of them, bruce immediately recognized the face. none other than vance hopper, who was wanted in more than half of the kingdom, and plenty of other kingdoms as well.

"holy shit." he said under his breath. now, he was panicking. there was a wanted criminal on his balcony. he took a step back, trying to maintain his composure. although, vance noticed the panic anyway. "i'm not gonna hurt you-" he said quickly, to which bruce raised a brow. "why don't i believe that?" he stopped moving back. vance paused. "ah- yeah, i can see where you're coming from there. but, i've never actually intentionally hurt anyone anyways-! and, i didnt even mean to end up here- trust me, if i wanted to kill you, i wouldve by now. i know what i'm doing, i'm good at this." he crossed his arms. "what are you doing on my balcony then?-" bruce spoke up. vance rolled his eyes. "i already said it was a mistake. plus, i didnt even know this was your balcony. it could have been anyone's!"

bruce slowly nodded. "right.." he took a couple more steps back, making his way towards his door. vance's eyes widened. "heyhey! do not step any closer to that door, you hear me?" he held his hand out, as if threatening bruce with it. bruce put his hand on the doornob. "you already said you're not gonna hurt me, why should i be scared?" bruce questioned. vance bit his lip, cursing under his breath. "b-because, if i wanted to change my plans right now, i could!-" he threatened, mentally cursing himself for stuttering. although, bruce wasn't really buying it. "let's say i do open this door and call for someone, they'll get here before you're even in the room." he stated simply, with a shrug. "okay- look- you don't have to do this-" vance said quickly. bruce gave him a questioning look. "you're a wanted criminal trying to break into my house, why wouldn't i report you?"

he crossed his arms, moving his hand away from the doornob — which caused vance to let out a small sigh of relief. "i wasn't even gonna do anything, i just needed to scope out the place."

"so that you know what you're doing the next time you try and break in?" bruce walked back towards the window, he couldn't help but feel intrigued. "okay, maybe- but it's not like i was gonna make you go bankrupt! you have everything here, a little bit wouldn't hurt." vance leaned back against the balcony railing. bruce stayed silent, he couldn't argue with what the other had said, because he was right. he found himself making his way onto the balcony as well — he was probably not making the best decision, but in his defense he was mildly sleep deprived. he put his elbow on the railing and his chin on his hand. vance was surpised at how easily the other seemed comfortable around him, a criminal.

"you're not going to report me?" he asked. bruce shook his head. "you said you weren't doing any harm," bruce hummed, looking at the sky. "but- you're supposed to tell someone if you simply see me-" vance started, only to be cut off by bruce. "do you want me to report you?" he looked at vance, raising a brow. vance quickly shook his head. "no! i'm just- why?" vance questioned, bringing his gaze to meet bruce's. bruce simply shrugged. "who am i to report you for doing nothing?" vance couldnt help a small smile. he was used to treatment like this, of course he wasn't surprised that he didn't get treatment like this, but it was still nice every once and a while.

he didn't want to have built up the name for himself as a criminal, but he had managed to anyways. people were always quick to judge. bruce leaned his head back on his palm. vance looked up at the sky as well. "pretty, isn't it?" bruce asked, earning a nod in reply from vance. "very." the two boys sat in silence and, for once, bruce didn't mind it. although, eventually vance spoke up. "i should go." he said, he didn't really want to test his luck with getting caught.

bruce stood up. "thats probably a good idea." vance cleared his throat. "thanks for, uhm, not reporting me.. and stuff." he said softly, crossing his arms. bruce chuckled, nodding. "yeah, i think you should invest in a mask of some sort. might help you out." vance laughed softly and a small blush of embarrassment crossed his face. "right- yeah, that would be smart." he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "well, uhm, i'll see you later then, prettu boy." he said with a wink, before pulling himself over the balcony and starting his climb back down the castle.

bruce couldn't help a small blush from what the other said. he watched him climb down with a smile, vance wasnt like anyone he's ever met before — and bruce liked that. he hoped he would see more of the other, but he decided not to get his hopes up too much. he was a criminal, after all.
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word count: 942
yay vance !! 🤭