Manifestation of Manipulation - Vance Hopper x Male Reader

Unlock - 23

(Photo from: Amazon- 3 piece Assorted Cotton Bandanas (Orange/Pink/Red))

Dinner wasn't as interesting as I had made it out to be, we ate in silence and went to bed. Or more like my parents went to bed and my stupid friends and I stayed up, just to hang out in my room. Talk a bit more, catch up on a few things.

"Ooh ok, so you basically seduced a teacher to be allowed in the room?" I mock Theo who had just confessed the exact situation. "Well, seduced is a strong accusation! She just took a strong likin' to me." Theo smirks, I look at Morgan for an added eye roll. She smiles at me and pushes her hair out of her face, her red bandana showing now. "I'm pretty sure those are the same thing." She snorts, Theo sighs loudly and pushes himself off the floor.

"Fighting over this has proved utterly exhausting, Morgan let's hit the hay." Theo pleads, doing a pouty lip. "Haha ok ok, goodnight Y/N." Morgan smiles, getting off the bed to follow Theo to their shared room. "Goodnight you two!" I call as Morgan closes the door, she waves through the crack and then fully closes it.

Man, Theo was right. All this fake fighting and sitting around all day has worn me the fuck out. I guarantee tonight is going to be one of the best sleeps I've ever had.

*** Time Skip ***

You know, I was right. Best sleep I've ever had, but I must've jinxed myself, because halfway through the best sleep I've ever had I'm awaken. At first I'm not sure what the noise was that woke me up. My room is pitch black and so quiet I could hear a pin drop. I sit up and rub my eyes, blink to get the fuzzies away and pull my blankets up. I look around my room, the darkness overwhelming all the darkest areas and corners of the room.

However I am not afraid of the dark, so it doesn't bother me much. What does bother me is the quiet knock at my window. Definitely not a tree branch, there's not a tree next to my window, nor a bush. My heart is beating fast and my eyes are wide now, locked on my window that I pray I locked. I try my best to rationalize the sound as a bird, or maybe raccoons in the bins just below. But all those theories are proven wrong by another knock and a voice.

"Y/N? Are you up? Let me in." Vance's voice whisper calls to me. I sigh a huge breath of relief and stand quickly. I draw the curtains back and smile at the boy, who doesn't smile in return. So I stop smiling and unlock the window before pulling it up. "Thanks." He mumbles, climbing in super easily. "Yeah, uhm- what exactly are you doing here at- 3:34 in the morning?" I ask, bending for look at my bedside clock then back to him curiously as he stands up right. He's in different clothes than he was in yesterday, and he looks really tired. "I uh... Needed to talk to you." He says, still avoiding eye contact. "About..?" I persist, moving past him to close the window.

As I close it he sits on the floor next to my bed, so I follow his lead and sit across from him in front of the window. He doesn't speak up, not even when I plug in my little night light and turn it on. "Vance..? Hey man are you ok?" I mumble, trying to get a look at his eyes from below his bangs. But he turns his head and covers his mouth with this left hand. "I just-......-to see-..., .....- all..." He mutters into his hand.

"I can't hear you, what'd you say??" I ask, moving closer to him. He sighs loudly and turns to face me, finally. His eyes are a pretty blueish-grey and catch my eyes in a trance. I've never seen his eyes in this kind of lighting, and boy do they steal your gaze. He examines my own face as I get lost in his eyes, staying quiet because I don't want to pressure something out of him if he doesn't want me to actually hear it. I'm too open minded and surprisingly caring to force that on someone, especially someone like him, caring and oddly passionate towards his friends. Someone who's someone to me.

"I said I just wanted to see you, that's all, fucking tard." He curses, looking away from me again as if I've been staring too long and made him uncomfortable.

"See me? Why?" I laugh, crossing my legs like a pretzel. He sighs and pulls his legs to his chest. "Does it matter?" He growls not real trying to sound menacing. "Well, you woke me up by knocking on my window at three in the morning. On a school night of all nights. That sounds like I deserve an explanation, but hey, what do I know?" I tease Vance, hopping to "fix" his odd mood. Instead of fixing it for him, he scoots closer to me. Crossing his legs like me to press his jean-ed knees against my bare knees. "I had a nightmare about- something and I wanted to check up on you to clear my head. Ok? That's all." He explains himself, looking up at me, his eyes a bit watery and red.

"What was it about, if you don't mind me asking." He scrunches up his whole face and shakes his head. "You don't have to tell me." I reassure him, my reassurance seems to break him. He looks down and covers his face and begins to cry, in any given situation I'd be completely stunned, but I refuse to freeze up. "It's ok, it was just a nightmare Vance. It's not anymore real than Santa." I try to make a joke to make him laugh a bit but he only begins to full on sob.

I bite my cheek and lean to grasp him in a tight hug. He gratefully hugs me back and pulls me in hard. He sobs into my shoulder and holds a tight grasp on my sleep shirt. I rub his back softly and whisper to him. "It's ok Vance.. I'm here it's ok.." I say to him, he seems to calm down a bit when I speak so I continue. "I got you.. I got you." I whisper, pulling him impossibly closer to me.

"It's going to be ok, Vance."