[FIC] Patchwork Heroes

[riastarstruck]

Title: Patchwork Heroes -Chapter Four
Author:  RiaStarStruck (me!)
Rating: R
Pairing: VAM
Summary:  They were just two regular teenagers for the most part, but when they meet each other they have to start dealing with the demons that lurk in their shadows. Snapshots of how they found each other, and how it became more.
Disclaimer: nope, none of the characters are mine, just the order of the words.
Warnings: abuse, Ref to child abuse, violence, angst. Unbeta’ed.
Authors Notes: Chapter four! Please comment!

Prologue, Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three


Chapter Four

I
n all honesty the dance wasn’t as horrible as Bam had imagined it being, corny and lame, but not as nightmarish as his imagination had conjured. Missy wore a purple dress that made her look beautiful and she beamed at him when he allowed her to drag him out to the dance floor, Novak and Raab laughed from the sidelines pulling faces at him as he held her uncomfortably in his arms. As she pressed close to him, her head resting on his shoulder Bam tried not to think about the last time he had danced, Ville’s strong arms around him, Ville's thin body pressed close to his own, Ville’s warm breath on his face. Instead he focused on Missy, who laughed when she caught siight of Novak and Raab pretending to waltz around the edge of the dance floor; Missy, who smelled like pineapple and strawberries. Missy, who looked up at him and smiled, and didn’t care when all her friends asked her with distain why she was with an idiot like him.
He hated himself for missing Ville’s geeky laugh, Ville’s smell of cigarette smoke and leather. Ville, who smiled down at him, heavy lidded eyes and burning red lips that leant closer, close enough to.... No.
He smiled down at Missy and attempted to swirl her around, they both laughed happily when it failed, Missy wrapping her arms around his neck and his own arms snaking around her small waist. He felt too tall and clumsy as her small frame settled in his arms. He tried not to think about how Ville’s tall form had bent around him, surrounding him.
Bam found himself having fun, relaxing even. It was just like hanging out with his friends except they were dressed up a little more ridiculously than usual. The pounding music shifted from bad song to worst song, and Bam alternated between standing with his friends and laughing at the music and the other people, and allowing Missy to drag him around the dance floor, smiling up at him when he stumbled over his own feet, hands clammy and clumsy against her waist.

Novak and Raab leered and made kissy faces when he left early to walk her home. In truth he wanted to stay with them, pulling pranks and steeling drinks. When it was just Missy and Bam things became tense, he held her hand and kissed her cheek, ignoring when she pressed her body close and lately, when she began guiding his hands to rest on her body. He liked Missy, but it was strange when it was just the two of them.

They walked mostly in silence, shoulders occasionally brushing against each other as they walked together. It came as a surprise when she slowed down as they made it to the mouth of her street.
“Bam, do you even like me?” she stopped walking and turned to face him. He blinked surprised and looked at her face, half illuminated by the street light above.
“Of course I do. Why?” Missy pushed her hands deeply into her coat pockets and breathed out deeply, frowning. Bam watched as she searched the sky for a moment trying to figure out what to say.
“It’s just... you stopped for him, and not for me.” Bam stared blankly at her for a moment before he realised what she was talking about, the elephant that had been following them for days now, the shadow of resentment that clouded her eyes sometimes when she looked at him.
“He already had bruised ribs, I really hurt him.” He explained calmly yet again, frowning when she huffed and threw her hands into the air.
“It’s not just that, it’s everything. When he enters the room it’s like I just disappear.” Bam moved back slowly and didn’t meet Missy’s eyes.
“We’re friends.” Missy watched him closely.
“Is that it?”  her voice was nervous and Bam ran his hands through his hair and sighed confused. Flashes of Ville humming close o his ear, Ville’s naked back under his hands, Ville’s secrets smiles just for him, he hundred lingering touches that stayed much longer then they should.
“Of course!” Missy nodded slowly and they continued their slow walk down the road.
“Why haven’t you pressed me for sex like all the other guys, I mean, you barely touch me at all.” Missy stopped walking again, looking down at the concrete blushing. Bam also stopped and sunk his hands deep into his pockets, avoiding having to look at her.
“I do want you... it’s just, I’m not really good at physical stuff. Some shit happened when I was younger, and I’m just not... comfortable.” He finished lamely glanced up to see Missy staring at him sadly.
“You let him hug you all the time, and play with your hair and...” she trailed off and Bam shrugged, feeling bile rise slowly in his throat trying not to think about what Missy was telling him. “What happened when you were younger?” Bam turned his back on her, not wanting to see her face.
“I don’t remember.” They stood silently on the road for a while, before Missy sighed deeply stepping forward.
“See you later Bam.” She whispered sadly. Bam caught her hand as she turned to leave.
“See ya Miss.” Her smile brightened and Bam watched her walk down the road towards her house before turning around and heading towards his own, his mind heavy with unwanted thoughts and implications.

~*~

The phone call came later that night, Bam had crawled into bed an hour earlier after giving his waiting parents a brief rundown of the evening, leaving out the confusing conversation with Missy.He felt a strange twist in his gut when he saw the pride in his mothers’ eyes.
Bam answered the phone on the third ring and was greeted with the heavy pants and the strained voice of Mige, he could hear shoes slapping against pavement as they ran and shouting in the background.
“Fuck dude, you gotta come and get us, Dico was being an idiot, and Ville was flirting and now these guys are chasing us and you gotta fucking come.” Bam was pulling on his pants one handed and heading towards the door and down the hall to Jess’ room before Mige had finished speaking.
“Alright, alright, just tell us where you are and we’ll come get you.” Jess opened the door blurry eyed but without a word headed back into his room and got dressed before following Bam down the stairs as Bam attempted to figure out where they were going. Ape poked her head out of their bedroom door, Bam continued down the stairs and Jess barely missed a step as he tossed an explanation in her direction.

They were driving through the night within minutes; Bam navigated the way through the shadowed streets of his childhood town and didn’t even wonder at how many times he had been in a situation like this, running to the rescue of one of their friends for one reason or another at odd hours of the night.
They saw the small group the moment they turned down Magnolia Drive, Jess sped up and turned the lights on high as they sped towards them, pulling up to the small group with a screech of tires, Bam jumped out of the car before it was even at a complete stop. Dico was in the middle of the foot path where two tall men was shouting and throwing punches which Dico attempted to avoid not being completely succesful. Mige was shouting at another man and attempting to check on Ville at the same time, who was huddled on the ground in a foetal position. Bam's first instinct was the check on the huddled figure, visions of bruised and broken Ville ran through his mind, but instead he jumped into the brawl, pulling Dico away from his attacker and pushing him towards the car, Jess had joined him by then and they worked seamlessly together to distract the attackers and steer Ville and Mige into the car. Bam felt sick as he saw blood on Ville’s face but there wasn’t time now to see what the damage was.
They were in the car and Jess was pulling away from the curb within minutes driving away from the shouting men, Jess swore under his breath as a bottle was thrown at the car but he didn’t look away from the road in front of him. Bam turned in his seat and attempted to inspect Ville's face, but he kept squirming and shaking as he pulling from his grip. Growling under his breath he pulled off his over shirt, pressing it against the nasty looking wound on his forehead. He heard Ville hiss but he pressed Ville's hand against the cloth, making sure he kept a steady pressure before he turned around again and buckled his seat belt up. ‘Head wounds always bleed a lot, it doesn’t mean it’s bad.’ he tried to reassure himself breathing deeply. He closed his eyes and repeated this to himself as he ran his hands through his hair and ignoring the blood he felt being smearing into his curls, the adrenaline was running high and he watched the road curve before him, the headlights illuminating a wide arc of the smooth road that disappeared under the front wheels of he car.

Ville was breathing heavily as he pressed the stained cloth against his forehead and his face was paper white. Bam watched him as the car sped along the darkened street his eyes trailing over his pale features and watching as he was shivering and rocking slightly in the middle seat pressed between the shaken figure of Mige and the loud energy of Dico, the blood was smeared dark across his face and glittered as the passing headlights shone harsh white into the car interior. Dico was cursing loudly, flailing his arms around and shouting about the bastards. Jess was shouting from the drivers’ seat trying to get him to shut up as he glanced worriedly at Ville through the rear view mirror while Mige flittered between asking Ville over and over if he was alright, and yelling at Dico to be quiet. Ville flinched as Dico’s fist hit the window as he ranted and Bam clenched his own fists to keep from reaching back there and throttling him.
“Those fucking bastards! Who the hell do they think they are? Fucking bastards!” Dico didn’t stop, the passing lights cast multicoloured hues across his face and he looked twisted and deformed. The noise in the car was deafening and the blur of voices was indistinguishable each vying for dominance in the small enclosure.
“Dude, shut the fuck up! Not helping.” Bam's voice rang through the car and everyone jerked into silence, Dico’s eyes were wide and his mouth hung open, having been mid word at the shout. Bam nodded towards Ville who sat motionless in the centre seat, head down and bloody rag pressed to his forehead. Dico followed his nod and stared at Ville as though seeing him for the first time. Bam watched as Dico’s eyes traced the rivulets of blood that ran down his face and stained the collar of his t shirt in a horrible puddle that would never wash out.
“Fuck, those bastards, what the fuck did they think-” Dico stopped immediately at Bam's sharp look and Jess’ pointed cough.
As Bam watched he saw Ville look up and smile his thanks shakily at him, and Bam felt like crying, why did it have to happen to Ville? Why did it always happen to Ville?

Ville was silent and moved stiffly as he climbed out of the car and across the dark yard into the house, he huddled in on himself and flinched away from the wind and the loud noise of their entrance. He climbed the stairs without a sound and Bam followed wordlessly watching the hunched back in front of him.
The moment the bathroom door closed behind them Ville fell into his arms, sobbing wet, heaving sobs against Bam shoulder. His body shook and his cries were dispersed by desperate keening sounds that tore at Bam's heart.
Bam ran his hands slowly down his shaking back and made gentle soothing sounds as he hid his face in Ville's curls trying to avoid seeing his own tear filled eyes in the mirror that hung over Ville's quaking shoulder. Slowly the tears tapered off and they stayed like that for a while more as the shivers slowly subsided. Bam's hands trailed up and down Ville's thin back pausing in their journey when Ville's voice broke through the silence, his voice was raw and thick, a whisper in the silent room that would echo in Bam's mind for hours after.
“Why does it happen to me? Why is it always me?” Bam felt tears well up in his throat at the echo of his own thoughts.
“I don’t know Willa, I just don’t know.” Ville shivered and pulled away and watery green eyes traced his face and Bam couldn’t look away. Eventually he sank down on the toilet seat and calmed his breathing as they listened to the commotion downstairs. Bam wet a wash cloth mechanically and ignored the deep red stain on his shoulder before turning to Ville to slowly and gently wash his face of the blood and tears that were crusting against his skin running his fingers soothingly through Ville’s soft curls; pulling errant strands from the weeping wound wincing every time Ville’s flinching away from his touch.

April was bustling around the kitchen when they went down, Dico was talking again and Mige was murmuring quietly on the phone in the corner. Phil sat at the table and was listening to Jess who was explaining in a steady voice, trying to calm Ape down.
“I saw him! Is he alright? There was blood!” Ape was slamming mugs around banging the containers as she fixed teas and hot chocolates.
“It’s fine mum! Bam's looking after him.” Bam winced at the ‘mum’ they only ever called her that when she was particularly angry.
“It’s fine? It’s not fine!”Ape’s voice was shrill and Ville winced beside Bam where they stood in the doorway watching the chaos of the room.
“Ape he’s right, its fine.” Ape spun around and advanced on them, she recoiled when she saw the neat square of bandage on Ville’s head. Her face whitened and she reached for the keys that lay on the counter where Jess had thrown them as they came in.
“That’s it; I’m taking you to the ER.” Ville moved back, clutching Bam's arm and shaking his head, covering the bandage with his long damp hair.
“No, Ape, he’s fine. He doesn’t want to go to the hospital, I’ve already asked.” Ape tisked and looked at Phil for support who shrugged helplessly.
“Fine, but you’re looking after him and if anything, anything is wrong, I’m taking him.” Bam nodded soberly and led Ville into the room to a seat at the table.
Everyone seemed to be looking at them and Bam felt Ville tense beside him, he sat ridged in his seat arms crossed protectively against his chest. “We were at this bar, this girl kept talking to me; she wouldn’t leave me alone. She was making it pretty fucking obvious she was into me.” Ville fiddled with his rings and spoke dispassionately. Mige spoke up from the corner, snorting loudly.
“She was making it pretty obvious to the whole bar.” Dico nodded emphatically from his seat on the kitchen counter but didn’t say anything.
“So I finally just tell her that I wasn’t interested. So she gets all... pissed at me and starts calling me all this crap.” He ran his hand through his curls and glanced quickly at Bam who was listening avidly. In Bam's mind he was imagining it all in excruciating detail, some ditzy blond hanging all over Ville, pressing her body up close to the unresponsive Ville. “Then this big guy comes up and starts talking shit, and then she starts telling him that I wouldn’t leave her alone, and that she told me to back off but I wouldn’t listen.” Ville huffed a laugh and rolled his eyes. “So the guy starts yelling and I’m trying to tell him that I wasn’t into her and then he starts asking me why not like I’d just insulted them or something. So I decided to walk away, and just leave them to it. ” Bam saw Dico shift uncomfortably on the counter and Mige shot him a look. “So then Dico comes up and starts being an idiot, and we’re just trying to get him to shut up.” Dico shrugged sheepishly and Bam felt irritation rise in him as flashes of Ville's bleeding head, and Ville curled up on the ground and Ville sobbing in his arms upstairs ran through his head. But as quickly as it came the irritation was gone, that was just Dico’s way.
“So then Mige and I were pulling Dico away and we crashed into this guy who was carrying some drinks.” Ville seemed to deflate even further but a weary smile flitted across his face. “Turns out he was a friend of the first guy and, I dunno, it just kinda escalated from there. Then we were running down the street and they were chasing us. The first guy, he hit me in the head with a beer bottle just before you two showed up.” Bam quickly ran through the sequence of events he had gone through, trying to find somewhere where he dawdled or took too much time so he could have gotten there sooner. He couldn’t think of anything and he frowned at himself. Ville caught his eye and smiled at him as though trying to reassuring him seemingly knowing his thoughts without having to be told.

Not long after, when they were all warmed up from hot chocolate and tea; Ville and Bam wandered up to Bam's bedroom. Ape had found time to set up a small bed beside Bam's and Ville seemed to collapse onto it the moment he was close enough. Bam watched from the end of his own bed and smiled sadly down at him.
“You gonna be alright?” he whispered, listening to Dico and Jess arguing in the next room. Ville nodded and reached out for Bam; pulling him down alongside him on the narrow cot. Bam gently ran his fingers through Ville’s curls as he slowly relaxed onto the borrowed bed. Ville's thin frame curled up against him and Bam felt the gentle shivers that ran through his companion as acutely as if they were his own.
“Thank you.” Ville whispered softly. Bam nodded but didn’t say anything just continued to gently card his fingers through the soft curls until Ville eventually drifted off to sleep.

~*~

That night he dreamt he was running, the hard concrete sending needle like shots through his bare feet as he ran. The darkness pressed in around him, closing in and seeming to pull the air from his heaving lungs. He stumbled over a jagged rock and fire exploding over his foot as he lurched; he felt cool fingertips brush against him from behind and he pushed on harder.
The air burned his lungs as it was pulled from him in harsh bursts. All he knew was he had to go faster, get further. He didn’t know where he was going or from what he was running, all he knew was he had to get away.
He ran blindly into the darkness, as the shadows and hands closed in from behind. He tripped over something again, stumbling and then he was falling and the ground was opening up to swallow him whole. He woke with a choked sob when Jess clicked the light on. Later, when his brother relaxed and slowly drifted off to sleep Bam rolled over and watched Ville’s sleeping figure on the mattress beside his bed.

The third time Bam almost died he was fourteen years old. He’d driven the family car into a frozen over lake just outside of Westchester. Mr Miller from the newsagency saw the car go in at high speed and he and another man pulled Bam out of the freezing water.
He was in hospital for three days and didn’t speak for five. He told the police when he finally remembered his voice, that he was just being stupid and lost control of the car, they gave him a warning because no real damage was done. Ape yelled at him for half an hour and cried for an hour more, she told him he couldn’t drive again until he was twenty one, but Bam got his license at sixteen anyway.
He didn’t remember getting in the car, he didn’t remember driving to the lake and he didn’t remember being pulled out, but he did remember sitting in the drivers’ seat and watching as the dark frigid water pressed close against the windows and turned them to mirrors, he sat and watched for what felt like an eternity as the young boy wept silently in the drivers’ seat, reflected in every mirrored window as the water began to fill the car.

A/N Comments are love and I need love to get through the pile of (rather important) assignments I have set aside to update this...

Chapter Five