Chapter Text
Bruce wasn’t surprised when Vance ignored him the following weeks, he wasn’t surprised one bit. He, well at least he thinks, has accepted his fate, deciding to give up on the idea of paradise with him and instead focusing on whatever else he could, it’s not like they were bonded forever or something…
A little part of Bruce was glad his soulmate didn’t like him at all (no he wasn’t), seeing he didn’t have to deal with his parents disowning him for having a soulmate like Vance Hopper.
But then there was the part of him that just fell apart because he didn’t have a soulmate. More an acquaintance than anything.
Bruce had tried to talk to someone about it, Griffin, Robin, hell, even his sister, who he had called last week, but everyone was too focused on other people to notice Bruce’s troubles, not to say that it didn’t hurt because it did, but Bruce didn’t blame them, they had their own problems, and he had his, right?
Tonight a party would be held, and Bruce Yamada had no will to go, not one part of him wanting to put something nice on and fake a smile for everyone. He was sure Vance wouldn’t want to go with him, and Griffin seemed so deep in himself to notice Bruce’s changed mood. So that meant it was just going to be him. By himself. Again.
Nonetheless, he still got ready, changing into a nice pair of clothes and even going as far as to do his hair. For whom. No one. Absolutely no one.
Bruce hated himself, looking in the mirror and finding the things that were wrong was just so much easier than finding the things that were right. Besides, the good side was limited, and the bad side was endless. Bruce just stared, thinking every thought he could of himself, mustering every bad trait from his face to his body. His mother was right, he wasn’t good enough.
A rap on the door knocked Bruce from his thoughts, hoping it would be Griffin, he ran from the bathroom to the front. He needed him right now and would rather dance the night away with him than sit in his bed praying for things to get better. Swinging the door open, Bruce was faced with none other than Robin. It wasn’t his best friend, but it was still someone, someone that he thinks might care about him.
“Where’s Griff?” Bruce asked, letting Robin in and running around the room looking for his things to go. He really needed to be more organized, the amount of hectic in his life would be enough to give his mother a heart attack.
“Wow, hate me that much?”
There was a pause, a slight one that had Bruce burst into laughter and Robin crack that mocking smile, the one that Bruce had practically memorized from all the years he spent with him.
“I’m afraid Griffin's busy, boy troubles,” Robin continued, shaking his hands in the way Bruce remembered he did for musical theatre. Jazz hands, they’d call them.
Bruce rolled his eyes, Griffin was always having boy troubles. Wasn’t he…
“Ah, Billy being a dick?”
“No, more like Billy begging for attention and Griffin throwing a baseball bat at him for the tenth time this week.”
Bruce howled with laughter, finding that image very true considering it had happened before. Or was it a baseball? Bruce couldn’t remember, but it was funny seeing Griffin boast about it later on. Really funny.
The party was below average, with loud music, yelling, and kissing, lots of it. Bruce found everywhere he went, people had their lips locked in a way Bruce could only dream of. Vance wouldn’t even touch him.
Robin had gone off with Finney, apparently, the two were semigetting along, and Bruce was glad for that, glad that at least Robin could find a happy median. And Griffin, well, he was still M.I.A., the strawberry blonde not being noticed quite yet. He’s going to be here, he’s always there for you. Right?
Turns out Bruce was wrong, Griffin wasn’t going to show up, and he was going to be left sitting in the corner by himself. Again. Sometimes Bruce wondered if his best friend even cared if Griffin Stagg would give a flying fuck if he died tomorrow. He was sure Vance wouldn’t, maybe the brothers did have something in common after all.
Lying in the garden was where Bruce was at now, hearing the laughter and happiness of other people while he contaminated his own air with selfpity and depression. The real kicker here was the fact that Bruce could be inside, could be enjoying himself with his friends for the night and just having fun, but he wasn’t, instead, he decided to make himself even more miserable and apparently invisible, couples stepping over him like he didn’t even exist. Now he knew how Griffin felt all those years ago,
Another rustle of a bush had Bruce staying completely still, probably another couple deciding to go make out underneath the moonlight because apparently that was so enticing. He didn’t get it. What was so great about kissing anyways? Enjoying your partner and feeling the rush of adrenaline in your body, wasn’t even fun. Totally not fun.
“Thought I might find you here,” the sound of Robin's voice cut through the air, Bruce barely giving a damn and staring into space. Had he been coming out here that much?
“What are you doing? hiding?” Robinasked,d and Bruce didn’t know if he was right or wrong, because either Bruce was hiding, hiding from the emotional drought Vance had given him, or he was escaping, escaping the physical feeling of depression that Vance had also supplied him with. Shocker.
“I dunno.” And Bruce answered with that, seeing as he didn’t know, not one bit, and decided on just not caring anymore. Seemed to work with Vance, why wouldn’t it work with Robin?
“Could I?” Robin gestured to the gravel patch next to Bruce, something Bruce didn’t think was the most comfortable, considering he was lying on it, but if Robin wanted to lie there, he could. Not like Bruce cared anymore.
“Go ahead.”
Robin did, laying his head right next to Bruce's, stretching his feet, and letting out a collectively heavy sigh, one Bruce had heard before. He’d done it multiple times today. It was just silence that filled the air, Bruce letting darkness overtake his mind as he stared into space and Robin trying his best to come up with a way to start a conversation, trying his best not to address the elephant in the room. Finally Robin got something, letting his brain wander for a few minutes actually worked for once.
“Griffin was asking where you were.”
Bruce scoffed, crossing his arms in a pout and letting his lips drop. Griffin, always needing something from him.
“Why does he need me this time… My shirt was already soaked with tears a few nights ago. I'm sure he can handle it himself,” Bruce snapped, and he didn’t mean it, but it came out. It was true, not once had Griffin asked how he was or even acknowledged his problems, and despite not blaming him, Bruce was starting to get just a little aggravated.
“I was going to say he needed a dancing partner.”
Bruce laughed, knowing damn well Griffin had a dancing partner, even if he didn’t like him, he always had a dance partner. Robin was just trying to make him laugh.
“What’s going on with you? Is something happening in paradise?” It was a joke again, but Bruce would not laugh this time because Robin didn’t know . He hadn’t noticed that Bruce wasn’t living in paradise, at least not the one his parents had told him about all those years ago.
“It doesn’t matter, not like anyone gives a fuck anymore.”
And Bruce Yamada never swore, ever. It was rare, and only a couple of times, but Bruce was tired and upset and tired, so he got every right to swear. Every fucking right.
“Woah, did Bruce Yamada just swear?”
“Yes, and who cares? I can swear if I want to, you know!” Bruce said he was not expecting the last part to come out because there were many things Bruce didn’t do, and yelling was also one of them. He had manners, but it seemed this facility was testing his patience extremely well and throwing his socalled manners out the window.
“Not saying you can’t, Bruce… What’s going on?” Bruce rolled his eyes, getting up off the floor because he was absolutely done. No, he wasn’t crazy for this, he wasn’t impolite, he was human, and God forbid he finally let his stupid fucking emotions out.
“Everything! God, Robin, everything sucks! I’m stuck in this stupid place with a stupid soulmate who I’m pretty sure hates me, and nobody cares! Nobody gives a shit because I’m Bruce Yamada, and my life is just perfect! Right!” Bruce screamed, Robin just staring at him, eyes wide in surprise as Bruce Yamada let every single feeling out in his body, letting it roam free into the world. Let it be known. Finally.
“God, somebody fucking kill me already, please! Shoot me right here, right in my head. I can fucking take it!” Bruce yelled into the air now, looking relatively insane as he screamed at the sky, begging for his end to come now, quick and painless. Then it was unintelligible screaming, just him yelling random swear words into the air, his eyes blown manic and wide as he yelled every curse word in the book.
“Hey, I heard yelling is everything—what the fuck?” Griffin came running down the side, touching Robin's shoulder only to witness Bruce absolutely losing his mind.
“YOU! YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE, YOU LEFT ME! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!” Bruce screamed upon seeing Griffin, finger outstretched and teeth bared, looking like he was ready to bite. Griffin put his hands in the air, surrendering to Bruce and closing his eyes in fear, afraid he might actually bite him.
“DANCING PARTNER! YOU WANT A FUCKING DANCING PARTNER? HERE THE HELL I AM! YOU STILL WANT ME?”
Griffin shook his head, eyes narrowed in confusion as he watched Bruce return to screaming straight at the sky. How much did he drink?
“FUCK YOU, UNIVERSE, YOU REALLY SCREWED ME OVER, YOU KNOW THAT? GIVING ME A HORRIBLE FUCKING SOULMATE WHO DOESN’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT ME? TRAPPING ME IN HERE LIKE SOME ANIMAL AND PRETENDING THIS IS PARADISE. MOTHERFUCKER, THIS IS NOT PARADISE!”
and slowly people they recognized started pooling in, Billy followed by Finney, until the inevitable happened: Vance Hopper appeared in the garden. Vance watched as Bruce completely violated him, saying every mean thing he could without even noticing the topic of conversation was standing right there. Griffin tried to push him out, tried to push all of them out, but they stood their ground, just watching. Then the waterworks came, and everyone watched as Bruce crumpled to the ground in a ball of depression, his tears and cries coming out long and painful as he whined. First Griffin went to talk to him but was surprised when Vance stepped in front of him, pushing him back and into Billy’s chest and walking over to Bruce. Things were just getting better and better.
“Bruce… you alright?” No, bitch, I’m not alright. I’m literally-Vance? Bruce removed his face from his pants, looking up at those icy blue eyes with his tearstained brown ones. No matter how much he completely hated him, those eyes seemed to draw him in every time.
“Come on, let's get you inside.” And in one swift movement, Bruce Yamada wasn’t crying on the gravel, no, instead he was crying in the arms of the one person he’d been hoping to even touch all week.
“What in the actual fuck just happened?” Was the first question Billy asked, the boy ignoring the hard glare Griffin sent his way and instead focusing on the shrug Finney sent him. It was a nicer option. He hadn’t even noticed how Griffin was locked in his arms, the two clinging onto each other in what seemed to be fear, and he stayed quiet, hoping the moment would last forever. Griffin had another idea, shoving Billy off of him in disgust and walking away, arms crossed in a form that made the idea of talking go completely out of the window. They had one freakout tonight, they did not need two.
“I’m just going to forget that happened. Finney came back to the room with me.” Billy laughed silently, like Finney would.
“Yeah, sure.” What the fuck.
That just left Billy, staring into space, trying his best to put the puzzle pieces together on what the hell was happening, because it seemed everyone knew but him. Great. He was back at ground zero. Again.