I met you in the basement || BRANCE

Loneliness lingers

Tw

Silence. Dead silence.
Vance asleep.

Bruce stared at a ceiling, he was going insane, becoming insomniac. He couldn't just sleep in this hell hole. He'd taken a few naps, but never a whole night were he felt peace. He'd imagined how his family was doing, if they gave up by now.

The boy sat up, the basement was almost pitch black, a bit of light from the streets shone threw.
He walked his way to a wall, looking at it. There was the toilet and nothing else, no escape, he was in fate.

"Vance.." he whispered, but couldn't choke it out. His body was shrinking, the basement felt like it was flooding. It was Bruce's anxiety.
"V-vance!" He cried out collapsing. He heard shuffling, vance turned around the corner. Seeing a boy on the floor shaking. He walked up slowly, vance recognizing what was happening. Vance breathed with him calming the boy down.
"Can you not sleep?"

"No- I haven't in days! It's so, so quiet" Bruce choked on a tear.

Vance nodded holding a hand out. Bruce took it as they walked to the bed, vance laid on the small mattress. Bruce laying back too, he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. He felt safer
"Just close your eyes Okay?" Bruce nodded.

Then soon bruce was out, a breathe made on his neck.

A slam was made

Bruce shot awake, both boys sitting up faster than ever.
"Aw, cuddle buddies" the man said in a monotone voice.
"What's your name new kid?"

"Uh- I."
"Do you not know? Funny, I'll just call you by.." he put a hand up to his chin "Brucey" he laughed.

"How'd you know that?!" Bruce whispered
"Oh just all the posters about our star baseball player and how you won't be at nationals today" he said laughing viciously.
"And your pronounced dead now. So"
The man looked at the pair for a few more minutes, before turning around slamming the door.

Bruce stared at a wall

He hasn't seen his reflection in days.
"You good yamada?"

"No." Bruce said dryly
"Why? Well what's wrong right now?"

"A day before I was taken, I wished to disappear. Now all I want is to hug my family, especially my little sister who I treated like shit." Bruce sighed leaning back.

"You will one day.. remember our promise" Vance said. Bruce looked at him, gulping. He didn't believe they would make it out anymore, he really thought he'd die in the basement. The two grasped each others hands, shakily. They sat in silence for awhile, it was a scary silence. It was so depressing and numb that it made bruce wanna rip his hair out. He slightly coughed, looking at vance who sat staring at a wall. He observed what he was looking at, it was a rust stain. Well it appeared to be rust, Bruce knew there was other possibilities.. when he looked away he saw a glimpse of something.
A boy hung on the wall, blood dripping down his face.his neck was slashed open, he was doing a backbend almost. Bruce screamed, jumping vance out of his thoughts.

Bruce closed his eyes praying, lips shivering.
"What's wrong?"

"I-I saw a boy in the corner." He pointed
"It's your imagination.. I've seen glimpses too" Vance put a hand on the boys thigh. Bruce breathed out heavily, opening an eye. Looking at the boys hand.
"Sorry-" Vance took a hand off.

"No keep it" bruce mumbled, vance putting his hand back on slowly. Rubbing circles to his thigh, he put his chin on Bruce's shoulder, zoning out again. His stomach grumbled, but he tried his best to ignore it. He leaned back shutting his eyes, wishing he could disappear, but not from his family this time. From life. The basement. And everything else.
He was loosing himself, but who wouldn't in a place like this? Food every couple days. Nasty sprite, a creepy old man.

He felt so lonely.

How could Vance last this long? Then he thought of something.

"Vance-"
"Hm?" Vance said

"You got taken just a day after robin.. what happened to him?" Vance sat up sighing.

"He told me this story.. robin fought to soon as soon as he was laid on the mattress he went to swing. Getting slammed in the head with a lamp, bleeding out.. in that corner" he pointed. Bruce looked at it, it was the rust.. he felt sick
"Oh."

"Yeah-" Vance said.

Bruce wondered how Vance survived down here. He was violent, definitely swung at the old guy. Robin lost his life one day in..
"Did he tell you all the stories?" Vance nodded.

"I'll save those for another day-" he shook his head, it went quiet for a second.

"Do you feel that?" Vance asked
"Feel what?" Bruce raised an eyebrow

"The silence.."

Bruce nodded.

"It's lonely, even with you here" Vance grumbled.
"I guess the loneliness lingers" Bruce shrugged.