Vance had, for the most part, ignored Bruce as much as he could. There were a few times where quick glances would be passed and small talk would be made, but they never spent much time together after he confessed.
And Bruce would've been lying if he said it didn't hurt. He would've been lying if he had said he didn't feel the same. He wouldn't be lying if he had said he was scared, scared to love and maybe get hurt because of it.
Scared and in love, that never quite ends well. Or, maybe it does.
The first time the boys saw each other, after the confession, it was surely a sight to see. Vance had eye bags, heavy ones, and split, probably infected, knuckles. Bruce frowned at the sight of him, unaware that he looked identical with the exception of split knuckles.
Bruce had walked forward, attempting to speak to the boy, but had grounded himself still when the blonde took one look at him and walked off.
And boy did that hurt.
Bruce knew that he had hurt Vance. He knew that he could've said something different, and everything would've changed. But that's the problem, isn't it? Change.
A few weeks passed by and Bruce hadn't seen the slightest glimpse of Vance. He had lost sleep, fearing the worst had happened to the boy. Or, fearing that the boy just up and left. All because of him.
Bruce had worn the smallest smile when he finally caught sight of Vance. The blonde was playing pinball, of course. Bruce had a faint memory of the boy saying he wanted to beat his high score, though he never quite had the time for it. Bruce guessed he had time for it then.
"Hey Vance." Bruce's tone was warm, quiet enough for only the blonde to hear as he leaned against the wall near the machine. Vance's eyes widened and he stole a glance, only for a second. "Oh, hey."
It was awkward to say the least, and Bruce felt an entire wave of it as he shifted on his feet.
"How-, uh, how've you been?" Bruce's hand shifted upwards and he scratched at the back of his head. Vance shrugged and kept his focus on the small ball in front of him. "Fine. You?"
Bruce bit the inside of his cheek and moved his gaze towards the floor. He was very aware that neither one of them were 'fine'.
"Yeah, fine. Well, I'll get out of your hair now. See you around." Bruce walked away from the other boy and machine, hands stuffed deep into his pockets as he pushed the tears back behind his eyes. He didn't deserve to cry. Not at that.
Vance had moved his eyes away from his machine, only for a moment, to see if Bruce was really gone. A frown sat upon his lips as he saw the boy's figure disappear down the street. It was only then when he realized that the machine in front of him was making noise, signaling his loss of the game.
Bruce stayed home for a week after that. It's not that he didn't want to see Vance. He really, really did. He just didn't know how to act if he found himself in such a situation.
Bruce found himself grieving. Grieving over what could've been, if only he had said something different. He knew he liked Vance. Knew that he liked the boy's smile. The way he'd talk. The way he'd laugh.
Hell, Bruce was in love with him. He should've just came out and said it when Vance did.
Bruce hoped he wouldn't be too late.
It was almost midnight when Bruce found himself knocking on Vance's window. His eyes were narrowed, glossed and red with the aftermath of crying. He was thankful of the darkness.
Vance's bedroom light flickered momentarily before fully turning on. Bruce instinctively backed up, though he still remained quite close as the blonde opened the glass frame.
"Bruce? What are you doing here?" Vance was rubbing at his eyes, probably trying to figure out if this was a dream or not. Bruce smiled at him. "Could I-, is it okay if I come in? I need to talk to you."
Vance had told him to wait, something about needing to make sure his mom wasn't awake. He returned to the window only a minute later, a soft smile on his face as he helped Bruce into his room.
Bruce rocked on his heels as Vance's back faced him, the blonde too busy in shutting the window to see the other rubbing the remaining tears from his face.
"So, what'd you want to talk about?"
Vance sat against the headboard of his bed, arms crossed over his chest as he stared towards Bruce.
Bruce blinked slowly and sighed. Here goes nothing. Or more so, here goes everything.
"I think-, no. I know that I lied to you. That day you told me how you felt, and I said I didn't feel the same." Bruce wasn't looking at Vance, but he could definitely feel the stare being given to him. "I like you too. Hell, I think I love you. I don't know why I didn't just say it earlier. I think part of me was scared to. Maybe."
Vance had let the boy ramble, but when everything went quiet, he begun to speak.
"Scared of what? Me?" Bruce had instantly looked towards the blonde, a frown upon his face as he shook his head. "No! No, of course not. I was scared of-, I don't even know. Being in a relationship, I guess. I didn't want to get hurt. I didn't want you to get hurt."
Vance had this look on his face, an indescribable one. It made Bruce's skin crawl with nervousness.
"I was scared too. Still am. But I'm willing to try." Vance rose from his spot on the bed and made his way over to Bruce, who stood like a deer in headlights.
It was only when Vance wrapped his arms around the boy and pulled him close, did Bruce take a deep breath and let a few tears roll from his eyes.
"I'm sorry V-Vance. I never meant to hurt you." Vance's grip only tightened as he shook his head. "Everything is okay now. We're okay."
Bruce would've been lying if he said he didn't like the way Vance mentioned them in a form of together.
"Yeah. We're okay."
The following days, months, years, after that were filled with happy memories. Of course, there were some bad ones here and there, but the two had each other. And that was enough.
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extra:
the day they made themselves official:
Bruce had to cover his ears when Finney made a high-pitched squealing noise, delighted to find that his best friend and friend had become official boyfriends.
"Does this mean-, wait-, does this mean we can go on double dates now?"
And, of course, Bruce and Vance just had to say yes.
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