wreaking ball -brace

chapter four

As Bruce got home, he immediately rushed to his room and started to panic.

What if Vance hated him now? What if he freaked him out and came across as too pushy or Vance thought Bruce was rushing into things?

His mind was a race horse, and he regretted ever giving out his number, until he got a text.

It was Vance.

"You free at 8?" The text read.

Bruce's heart leaped in his throat,  and he responded immediately, telling Vance he was free later.

The regret and panic turned into excitement and flusteredness. He couldn't believe it. All it took was a kiss for Vance to make a proper move.

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As 8 o'clock approached, Bruce was an anxious ball of a human.

He had tried on his entire closet, finally settling on a pair of straight legged jeans and a white shirt. It's a go-to outfit for him, knowing it could be worn for every occasion.

His doorbell rang, and he physically jumped. He felt so anxious, but he took a deep breath to calm down.

He opened the door, but it wasn't Vance. It was Billy. They became friends after he brought the wrong paper and Bruce went to his bike to fix the mistake.

"You won't belive what happened when I was walking my dog." Billy started, and Bruce rolled his eyes, his anxiety gone.

"I don't have the time to listen to the podcast episode you're about to make. I've got a date." He spoke, closing the door as he crossed his arms. That immediately caught Billy's attention.

"A date?" His eyes widened, immediately tilting his head. "Who's the victim?" That caused Bruce to punch him in the arm.

"It's none of your business." Bruce huffed, looking away as Billy complained about his fragile he was and that his arm was off limits. Drama queen.

"Come on, tell me." He pleaded. "I always remind you to thank Beyonce, after all." He poked Bruce's side.

"You're not funny." Bruce glared at him before sighing.

"It's Vance." He muttered,  and that made Billy stop.

"Like Vance hopper?" His jaw dropped before he shook his head.

"Makes sense." Billy shrugged, and Bruce furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"After all, only a sociopath would go out with you." He hummed, and Bruce punched his arm again.

"I'm not that bad!" Bruce huffed, Billy just laughing.

"Oh, please. You're the worst when it comes to relationships." That made Bruce blush. The thought of him and Vance in a serious relationship was exciting, making his stomach fill with butterflies.

"I'm really not that bad." Bruce defended once again, and Billy just rolled his eyes.

"Come on, you find a guy and pine for ages, but then you actually have the guy and you make it hell for you. You start fights, you don't allow them to get affectionate,  you never try to go to new stages. You've only had childish relationships, especially after middle school." Billy shook his head, and Bruce just looked offended.

"My relationships haven't been childish since 7th grade!" He argued.

"Oh, definitely. Well past 7th grade, actually." That got Billy another irritated punch to the arm.

"Okay, you've roasted me enough. Get out, now, he'll be here any minute." Bruce ran a hand through his hair, and Billy just put his hands up in defense.

"Call me later when you're done torturing the poor man so I can tell you my story." Billy spoke, fixing his jacket.

"Stop saying I'm destroying him. It's not funny, you prick." Bruce furrowed his eyebrows.

"Gee, officer krupkie, I'll make sure I praise the guy next time." Billy huffed with a chuckle before he left, hopping on his new mountain bike before heading home, and Bruce sighed.

Sure, he was a little hard on Billy, but he didn't need to feel bad about himself before his date.

After a minute or so, there was a knock on his door yet again, and when he opened it, it was finally Vance. Thank God Billy didn't come back for another round of insults.

"Hey there, handsome." Vance smirked, leaning on the door frame, and Bruce chuckled.

"You're missing the rose between your teeth." He joked, and it made Vance sigh.

"I know. They were all sold out." He shook his head, acting disappointed, and it made Bruce chuckle.

"If it makes you feel better, I haven't washed my face since you kissed it." He winked, and Bruce's eyebrows knit together.

"That's...unhygienic, to say the least." He spoke with concern.

"You like me disheveled." Vance hummed, making Bruce huff in disbelief at his confidence.

"Ready for our date, sweetheart?" Vance asked, standing up straight as Bruce grabbed his keys.

"Yeah, i am." Bruce smiled, heading out the door and locking it behind him, Vance's hand snaking around his waist as they headed to his car.