#lightly influenced by my post about them listening to Africa during their first kiss

[viscerax]

It's gonna take a lot to keep me away from you

The glistening Colorado summer sun brought a lot of unwanted heat to Vance's shitty Datsun 620. It was passed on from his dad, and barely functioned as a car. But fuck it, it got Vance around without him having to walk to and from school in the heat, and it made a good hangout spot when he needed to get away from home.

It also didn't help that the air conditioning wasn't in the best shape. By now, Vance had shed the jean vest he had on, which didn't exactly make much of a difference, leaving him in his wife beater and jeans.

Bruce sat in the passenger seat, his seat fully reclined and a shared joint pinched between his fingers. He was staring at the ceiling of the car, which had a hole in the fabric, probably from Vance's rampant road rage.

"This town is shit." Bruce mumbled as he passed the joint back to the blonde. Vance was almost surprised at the language, he rarely heard Bruce swear. In fact, he was surprised the first time when Bruce asked if he could smoke with Vance. He never took Bruce for a smoker in any sense. But Vance was happy to oblige, if it meant he got to spend more time with the pretty base ball player.

"Yeah... it is. But what can you do? Life's a bitch and then you die. Just how shit works out for us you know. We can't help the cards we were dealt." Vance shrugged, reclining his seat a bit as well so that he and Bruce were at the same level.

Bruce gasped. "No. Screw that! I'm getting out of here. I've got senior year and then I'm gone. I don't know where I'm going to go... I have a few colleges reaching out to me. I'll probably take up a scholarship, and just... get out of here." Bruce let out an exasperated sigh, closing his eyes for a moment as he relaxed his face. "Sorry to get all serious."

Vance didnt know Bruce hated it so much. He was fully convinced Bruce was comfortable with all the praise, all the ogling over him because he was just the perfect boy. Straight A's, athletic, friends, dozens of girls swooning for him. What more could Bruce possibly want?

Vance found himself staring at the boy adjacent to him, and thanked the heat for the natural redness it brought to his face, so that no one could tell the difference.

"What about you?" Bruce turned to Vance, and the blonde was brought out of his spaced out thoughts.

"What about me?" Vance reflected the question, quirking an eyebrow as Bruce nodded.

"Yeah. What are you gonna do when you graduate?"

Vance paused. In all honesty, he didn't know what he would do. "Well... I suppose I'll just keep working at the mechanic until I can raise enough to move out. Then maybe I'll go to community College, work some more, and die. Like everyone else in this sorry town. You have potential, Bruce. Don't let that go."

The bleak outlook surprised Bruce. Although, he wasn't sure what much else he had expected. So, he chuckled. He chuckled at the absurdity of it all, that they were just stuck here. That they were destined to fail. "You've been spending your whole life being told that you're going to fail that you really believe it. Vance, there's so much more out there. Maybe I'll take you with me to college. I can pack you up in my suitcase and you can live in my dorm. And then you can go to college." Bruce chuckled at the thought, reaching out a hand to brush Vance's hair out of his face.

Perhaps it was the heat, or the weed, but Bruce swore Vance's eyes flickered to Bruce's lips, just for a brief moment.

"That would be nice. Then you could sneak me out to all the parties, and I get all of the college experience except for all the boring shit like classes and stuff." Vance cracked a smile, and God Bruce loved his smile. Bruce loved everything about him.

"You're beautiful, Vance." Fuck. Bruce. He seriously just said that. He wanted to blame it on his cloudy brain, but he had never been more clear-headed in his life.

Vance stared at Bruce for a moment. "What?" Vance's tone came of brash at first, but his face gave him away. His eyes were wide and his entire face seemed to be flushed with heat. Bruce worried for a moment that he had fucked up and ruined it all. But he couldn't back down now. He's gone to far.

"Vance Hopper, you are the most beautiful thing in the world." The soft hum of the radio played in the background, a familiar song to Bruce, and it comforted him in a way. Despite his rapidly beating heart, he could clearly articulate his thoughts.

Vance simply stared, dumbfounded. He was... completely clueless if he was honest to Bruce's feelings. He knew he liked Bruce. He knew Bruce was beautiful and attractive and a sweet boy, everything Vance wasn't.

Bruce's hand rated against Vance's cheek. His hands were warm, mildly uncomfortable, but he didn't protest. He wanted Bruce to hold him. The two boys simply stared at eachother, Vance's mouth agape slightly.

"Just kiss me already, pretty boy." Vance murmured, and Bruce didn't need to be told twice.

Bruce propped himself up, pulling Vance closer to him, clashing their lips together. Kissing Vance was like nothing he had ever imagined. It was warm and comforting, but it was cool like a refreshing breeze on a hot day. Vance tasted of cigarettes and mint. Bruce didn't expect anything more. He pressed himself as close as possible to Vance, their noses bumping into each other.

Vance did the same, propping himself up. God, he couldn't count how long he had waited for this. He had wanted to kiss Bruce for so long, and he finally did. Vance's head clouded with bliss as hands found place on Bruce's waist.

Their kiss was interrupted as the sound of the trucks engine sputtering caused Vance to pull away.

"Shit!" He muttered, sitting up and turning the keys a few times. Bruce sat up a few seconds afterwards, brows furrowed.

Vance let out a frustrated sigh, trying his best to not start punching shit like he usually did when the car broke down. Bruce noticed the obvious distress Vance was in, and he placed a hand on Vance's forearm. Vance relaxed under the touch, letting out another sigh, his tense shoulders relaxing.

Bruce gave Vance a gentle smile, and Vance cracked a half-smile back. Gently, Bruce pulled Vance closer to him, holding his face im his hands again. "We can worry about the truck in a minute, it'll be fine." Bruce hummed, tucking some of Vance's hair behind his ear.

Vance nodded and leaned closer again, falling back into the rthym of their kiss. When the two finally pulled away, Vance was smiling. It was the first genuine smile he had in awhile. Bruce loved the look of it. He loved everything about Vance, but he had to say that his smile was at the top of his list.

"I really like you, Bruce." The confession fell from Vances mouth with a cautious undertone, as if they hadn't just kissed.

Bruce chuckled, his cheeks reddening even more if that were even possible. "I like you too, pretty boy."