(no subject)
Title: Don't Let Go
Author: myforgottenpain
Pairing: Vam
Rating: R for language and violence.
Summary: “Don't let go... because if you won't, then I won't...”
Disclaimer: I don't own anything connected to Ville Valo, or Bam Margera. (Or anyone else mentioned) Nor do I imply that in reality they are anything but friends. The only character I own in this whole story is Eevi. Additionally the title and summary obviously belong to our lovely Ville.
Authors Notes: This story has been about five years in the making. I'm still shocked that this is happening. Hopefully it will be as good as I hope it is.
Guest appearances made by: Johnny Knoxville, Brandon Novak, Ryan Dunn, Larui Ylonen, Anita and Kari Valo, the always beautiful Jonne “little pixie” Aaron, Tuomas from Nightwish, Jussi and Jyrki from 69 Eyes and the men of Apocalyptica. So many pretty Finns! Do I have enough?
**I can't believe I forgot this... but this is a vampire fic... so it's AU. xD and dedicated to the lovely beta: Slasher48 thanks again darling!
"You really think so?" Novak asked, taking a large bite of his hot dog.
They were at a local diner, a disgusting shack of a place, where the hygiene of the employees was constantly questionable and yet, they always went there. Ryan liked to think it was because the food was cheap. Novak thought it was because most of his family members worked there. Bam, on the other hand, liked to go because of the atmosphere. It wouldn’t be odd to see a teenage couple making out in one of the corner booths. A druggie panhandling next to the door, while a bum took a shower in the bathroom sink was also a common sight.
The grime, smoke, and strange order of the place would have caused everyone from his family to run in fear, but like so much in Bam’s life, he ran to where others ran from.
"I know it's him. I would recognize those eyes anywhere." Bam replied as he poked his french fry into the ketchup. He stared at it in disgust and ended up tossing it down instead of eating it. Rubbing his hands over his face, through his hair, and to his neck he mumbled, "What the hell am I going to do?"
"Do what I said in the first place. Get the hell out of here and lay low for a while." Johnny offered, pointing at Bam with one of his fries. He watched as the cook behind the counter unceremoniously dropped a plate with his hamburger on it and wrinkled his nose. The lettuce was wilted, and the plate had a pink crust on it from what Johnny could only assume was frosting from a previous use. That, and he just had a bad feeling about it. With one finger, he pushed it over to Novak, who devoured it without even bothering to ensure that Johnny was actually giving it to him.
Bam sighed, "I don't think that's the answer."
"Fine, don't take my advice then. When you end up dead, your head ripped off and stuck on a stick, don't come crying to me." Johnny said, smacking Novak's hand away from his fries, those were at least edible.
"But I don't think he wants to hurt me." Bam whispered. He noticed that Novak was taking his fries, but didn’t care enough to stop him. In fact, he pushed the plate over to Novak; it slid over the grease ridden surface of the countertop with ease.
“Thanks Bam.” Novak said as he happily shoved potato wedges into his mouth.
"You just told us that you think the dude is stalking you." Ryan pointed out, wrapping his arms around his own plate while leaning away from Novak.
"Yeah, so what?" Bam asked, taking a drink from his soda. He gagged for a moment, removed the strange hair from his mouth and then took another drink. “What’s your point?”
"Don't you think that's weird?" Ryan asked.
"Weird yes... but does it mean he wants to kill me? I don't know. He has had plenty of chances to do it... yet he hasn't."
*****
"I see you haven't taken my advice..." Jonne purred from his position on his lounge chair. His lanky frame was wrapped in brightly colored blankets, and somehow, he had managed to curl up in the confined space comfortably. His eyes were fixed on a beautiful crystal ball that he had balanced on the tips of his fingers, while his other hand twirled his hair.
"Did you really think I would?" Ville asked from his position lounging on an elegant couch across from where Jonne was.
They had returned to Jonne’s favorite room, a sort of office, where they spent most of their time together. The couch Ville was on and the chair Jonne was matched despite the different cultures they had come from… not to mention the different eras. Jonne’s chair was more along the English style, with a high back and sturdy arms he had one of his legs draped over. The couch Ville was sitting on was very Oriental in style, with a low back and simple design. Both were covered in red fabric, with deep brown frames.
A smirk spread over Jonne's lips and he laughed. "No, I knew you wouldn't. I knew it even before you showed up at my door." The ball flashed a bright lime color that brightened Jonne's eyes.
"Do you know how it ends?" Ville asked softly, his arms draped over his face.
"One can find a multitude of endings; the real task is finding the correct path." Jonne said, knowing how cryptic it was. He looked through the ball and to the distorted image of Ville. "Do you want to know what happens?"
Ville moved his hands to his chest, but looked at the delicate detail in the architecture of the ceiling, instead of his friend. Again, he found himself wondering when it had been constructed. The delicate swirls and precise recreation of cherub faces that gazed back at him. A master must have made it, but who… and when? Jonne had never told him and Ville doubted the possibility of ever finding out. It was a secret from before Ville was alive… one of the many that seemed to surround Jonne. "Would it be worth it? Could... it be worth the risk?"
Jonne let his eyes fall almost completely closed, looking at the ball again and not at Ville. "That's something only you can decide, Ville. What is worth the trouble to one is not the same for another." There was a touch of sadness to his tone, but he offered no further answer to the question.
Ville groaned as he moved from the couch. "Thanks for fucking nothing Jonne. If I needed that cryptic bullshit I would go to a crappy Chinese restaurant and get a goddamn fortune cookie!"
The half-hearted anger in Ville's voice made Jonne laugh. He rose from his seat, causing his blankets to fall to the floor. Carefully, he stepped out of the blankets and walked over to one of his many overcrowded bookshelves, gently placing the ball on its stand. It hovered over the dark wood holder, glowing a bright pink that washed over Jonne's face.
Ville sighed again, "He knows I'm watching him." His voice was softer and somewhat sadder now.
Jonne chuckled and turned to look at Ville. The pink light crawled up his face and into Jonne's eyes, where it disappeared. "He is a clever one. Most mortals are too focused inward to see what's on the outside."
"He intrigues me in a way I have never experienced before." Ville said, moving closer to Jonne.
For a moment, Jonne's attention was drawn to the crystal ball again, as it was shining with a bright purple color that surprised Ville. He had never seen it do that before.
"The feeling is mutual." Jonne said plainly, further surprising Ville. Jonne laughed some more, turned, and walked to his window.
Ville looked at the crystal ball carefully, but he only saw a delicate sphere that could have been nothing more than a bubble.
"Do not act so innocent, Ville. I know you have peeked into his mind." Jonne said bluntly, looking at Ville over his shoulder.
Ville was taken aback for a moment, but was soon laughing right along with Jonne. He walked over to his friend, looking out of the window with him, "Only because you have peeked into mine."
A reserved smile lingered on Jonne's lips as he closed his eyes. "It's hard to ignore the way your mind screams for him."
"I can't let him go." Ville whispered.
"Because you let him get under your skin," Jonne said, turning so he could look at Ville fully. "He wants to understand you as much as you want to understand him," he stated, which made Ville look at him. Jonne chuckled and walked away from Ville, his hands folded and resting on his lower back.
Ville recomposed himself. "I should let him go... before it's too late."
"It's already too late." Jonne looked to Ville, seeing how torn his friend was. It made the smile fade on Jonne's lips. "You will never let him go."
"I can't." Ville corrected as they both looked away from each other.
"You won't." Jonne said simply. He was standing next to another shelf, this one containing a little wooden box with dozens of little drawers, the kind the might contain dried herbs for medicine… some did in fact. Some were also missing, leaving gaps on the smooth, tan colored surface. One of his hands rose up to gently pull a drawer open. He pulled something out and held it tightly in his hand as he walked back over to Ville. "You could if you wanted to." He said to Ville's back before slowly walking around him. "Does it hurt that much to push him from your thoughts?" He asked softly.
Ville did not meet Jonne's eyes, but his answer came quickly and softly. "Is he in my thoughts that much?"
"Yes."
"Then yes - it hurts that much." Ville said, meeting Jonne's gaze. He didn't understand Jonne's expression or what lie in his eyes. Ville had long since given up trying to comprehend it, knowing he would never see the world the way Jonne did. But for one moment, he imagined there was a sense of understanding in his friend’s eyes. He felt Jonne take his hand and press something small into it. Carefully, Jonne closed Ville's hand, holding it in both of his own as he brought it up and kissed Ville's knuckles. Ville maintained his eye contact with Jonne, knowing better then to question it.
"Take this Ville.... and go to him. Show him what he wants to know. Then, if he still cannot let you go... follow your heart. No matter the consequences are."
***
Bam was gliding down the street on his skateboard. For once the sky was clear, letting the stars shine down on him. It had rained most of the day and the damp sidewalk splashed water up on his shoes. His hands were shoved into the pocket of his hoodie, a slight flush to his cheeks from the cool air. Despite the fact that everyone had congregated at the stadium for a concert, Bam knew the empty streets were deceptive. He was not alone, nor had he been alone for a few weeks now. Not since he had met the handsome stranger.
He would catch him every once in a while, always from far away, lingering on the edge of a crowd, slipping into a shadow, or walking just out of Bam's line of sight. Sometimes he would walk right by Bam, brushing their shoulders together. But no matter what, he always vanished before Bam could get to him.
Then there were times like this, when Bam didn't see him, but he could feel him. He knew that he was being followed and watched, but he wasn't frightened. He probably should have been, but he was too interested in finding out what was happening. There was something about the whole situation that led him to believe that it wasn't one sided, that the stranger was just as enticed as he was.
When the feeling became too much for Bam to bear, he came to a stop. Popping his board up so he could grab it without bending down, he started walking, dragging the deck against the sidewalk. He closed his eyes and imagined that the stranger was next to him, picturing his intense green eyes in his mind.
He started talking, describing his day and how much he hated his family. More than once people had walked in on him doing this, eyeing Bam like he had gone insane. For the most part, Bam didn't care. But he did wish he could talk to the person directly and hear what they had to say.
"Johnny had another bad dream last night. He says I should catch a shuttle out of the city and get the hell away from you. You really have him freaked out. Maybe it’s because you like to silently follow me around? Maybe it's because I am now talking to myself like some sort of crazy person? Who knows? It would be nice if you came out of the shadows and just acted like a normal person. You know... come over, have a few beers... chase some skirts around. Normal guy stuff?"
Bam stopped and looked around for any sign of life. A stray cat sprang from a turned over garbage can, but nothing else. He sighed unhappily and turned, wondering if he had made a mistake in not going with the others to see the concert.
It was common practice for this part of town to all go together. Since most people didn’t have a lot of money, nor did they have an actual stadium, they just sort of gathered in a large field on the other side of town and had a giant block party. People brought what they could and everything was shared. The music was all local bands and it was done for fun… a chance to rage against society and release tension… instead of for profit.
He was thinking about this when he spotted something just off to the side, through the corner of his eyes. Jumping, he spotted the man a few feet away from him.
"Ummm... hey?" Bam offered meekly, shivering as he waited for something to happen.
While a sense of adventure had initially made him so relaxed in this otherwise creepy situation, it was a love of being adored that had kept him interested in the stranger. The fact that someone was so interested in him that they had to resort to these measures pleased Bam in a way he had never known before.
Thunder rolled in the distance and the wind suddenly grew colder. The man walked over to Bam, holding an umbrella over his head. He stopped in front of Bam, who lost himself to the exquisite green depths of his eyes. He passed the umbrella to Bam and smiled, looking behind Bam for a moment. He leaned in and whispered, "See you tonight... in your dreams."
Bam gasped; the man's voice was so deep and rich, carrying the same accent as the blond had.
"Hey Bam!" Novak yelled, distracting Bam for a moment. He quickly looked back, but the figure was gone. He sighed, as a few drops of rain fell on them, looking down as Novak appeared next to him. "He's alright! I told you he was fine!"
Ryan and Johnny came running over to them. Ryan stopped next to Bam, while Johnny took several more steps and stopped close to where the stranger had been standing. "Is he gone?"
"Yes." Bam mumbled unhappily.
Ryan and Novak were in shock. "Holy shit! He was actually here?" Novak exclaimed.
"You just missed him." Bam added, looking to Johnny, who finally came over to them.
"HA! I told you he was here." Johnny said happily, as they huddled under the rather large umbrella, just in time for the rain to start coming down harder.
Ryan shook his head. "Damn... you're actually getting better."
Johnny nodded, sighing a little. "Though I wish it wasn't about something like this."
***
Dropping his board to the floor, Bam flopped into his bed. He yawned, tired and confused about what he should do. Crawling into bed, he snuggled into his sheets. Sleep came easily to him, but his normal dreams did not follow.
***
Bam yawned and rolled over in his bed, stretching. Morning seemed to come earlier and earlier. He sat up and was shocked to see what had happened. Scrambling back against the headboard, his eyes moved over the room. It was definitely not his room anymore. It looked more like the spare room at Dunn's house, which had served as Johnny’s bedroom since they had dropped out of high school. But that couldn't be right… and he hadn’t had anything to drink, so he knew that wasn't what was causing this.
"You were comfortable here." A male voice said, caressing Bam as gently as silk. He recognized it instantly as the man that had been stalking him.
"What?" Bam exclaimed, struggling out of the bed. He was still wearing his t-shirt and jeans from the night before. "Who are you?"
"You think of this place as your home." The male voice explained, as Bam looked in different rooms, looking for its owner. "That's why I picked this place, so you would feel safe. Do you really want to know who I am?"
"Umm, thanks? And yes... yes! It's nice to have a name to give your shrink when you tell her about how you're going fucking bonkers." Bam replied, opening a door he couldn't remember actually being there, finding that it revealed a flight of stairs.
It looked like it might go on for miles, this mystery staircase. The yellow paint on the walls was cracked and peeling and he could hear the faint groan as if the wind was actually pushing on a house… this house. Dunn’s house was as pissy as some of the people who lived in it. This place reminded Bam of that detail.
Bam took the stairs two at a time, without a second guess. When he was about halfway up, the door at the bottom slammed shut behind him, cloaking him in darkness. A moment of panic made his heart rate increase, as he carefully continued the rest of the way.
Tired and exhausted, he reached the top and fumbled for a minute with the doorknob, before he got it open. Bright light hit him and made him wince from the pain. For a moment, he almost ducked back into the hallway to get away from it.
"You're not crazy." The voice said, catching Bam's attention. He quickly walked out of the doorway, shielding his eyes from the light that assaulted him. The voice had definitely come from just ahead of him.
"How can you be sure?" Bam asked, slowly moving forward, unsure of what he was going to find.
"Because I am not a voice in your head...,at least not all the time."
The light finally fell away, leaving Bam disoriented, especially since it was suddenly so dark. He staggered, rubbing his eyes for a moment before his vision cleared. His eyes went wide when he finally could see where he was. He was standing on the roof of his own apartment complex, the tallest of the inner city towers. Several yards in front of him, sitting on the edge of the rooftop, was the stranger. He was wearing the same long black jacket from before. One of his legs was pulled close, while the other one was dangling over the edge of the roof. He didn’t turn around to look at Bam, but remained sitting with his back to the mortal.
Bam attempted to move closer, but felt like his feet were frozen in their place. "Is this real?"
There was something about the other man's tone that said he found Bam's question amusing. "As real as you want it to be." His eyes remained closed his eyes as wind rushed over them. "I'm sorry for the way my friend acted when we first met. He is... a little protective of me."
Bam’s attention was still on the ground under him, trying to figure out what was preventing him from moving.
"Is that why you don't bring him along on your stalking missions?" He looked to the other man’s back for a moment, before looking down again, pulling on his left leg and then the right, with no more success than before.
A small smile formed on the other man's lips and his eyes sparkled. "Who said I was stalking you?"
Bam grinned, "I call showing up every place someone else does, but refusing to interact with said person directly, stalking. Look it up in the dictionary. I bet it has a picture of you next to it... stalker."
His smile grew, "I wouldn't call it stalking."
Bam looked at him, watching his back for a moment. "Oh yeah, Stalker, what would you call it?"
"Observing."
Bam laughed, his tone mildly sarcastic, "Observing? You’re completely right, that's so much better than stalking."
"It's not nearly as creepy as the term stalking."
Bam gave up on trying to move forward and tried to move backwards, pleased when he was allowed to move in at least that direction. Taking a seat on the roof, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the cool, soothing breeze, and how it didn't smell like trash.
"You have an answer for everything, don't you?"
"So do you."
Bam chuckled some more. "What's your name?" There was silence for a moment and Bam was worried he wouldn't answer.
"Ville."
Bam grinned, "Ville?" He liked that name, it was fun to say and he liked how it rolled off his tongue. He repeated it a few times, closing his eyes once more. "What kind of name is Ville?"
"What kind of name is Bam?" Ville asked.
"It's what my friends call me. I'm not the most graceful of people." Bam explained.
Ville shook his head, "I wouldn't necessarily agree with that statement." He looked to Bam finally, turning in his spot to do so, amused by the confused look Bam was giving him. "You seem pretty graceful on that skateboard of yours."
Bam blushed and looked away. "There you go... being my stalker again." Another moment of silence while Bam chewed on his lip. "Will you ever let my friends meet you?" His voice was softer now and not as assertive as before.
"Someday." Ville replied, standing up.
Bam scrambled to his feet, amazed at how fluidly Ville was able to move. The wind continued to blow, rustling Bam's clothes and Ville's coat.
"Where are you going?"
"You should rest Bam. We will talk again soon." Ville replied.
"No... wait... there's so much I want to ask you," Bam started, but Ville extended his hand out towards the skater, so his palm was lined up with Bam's forehead. He whispered the word sleep and then Bam suddenly felt heavy and tired. He struggled against it for as long as he could, before his body gave up the struggle, causing him to drop to his knees. He watched through partly closed eyes as Ville jumped from the roof of the building.
When Bam fell over, sound asleep, he did not hit the roof of the building, but his own bed. There he continued to sleep for the rest of the day.
***
As soon as Bam woke up, he went to the roof of his building. Most of him knew he wouldn’t find anything, let alone the stranger. But that dream had been so real… he just had to go there.
Then door at the end of the staircase was open, just as it had been when he used to sneak up here as a teenager, not that it had been that long since he had done that.
The rusted metal of the hinges creaked as he pushed the door open and stepped out onto the roof. The day was horribly hot, not that he was aware of it. The sun was barely above the horizon line as he stepped fully from the building, the gravel covered roof crunching under his bare feet.
Wind rushed over him, chilling him despite the actual warmth. The bright oranges and reds of the sunset were blinding after he had slept for so long. This was just how the dream had felt. His whole body was tense, as he willed it to look at the edge were the stranger had sat.
No, his mind corrected, that was where Ville had sat.
Of course he was no longer there, but Bam walked over there anyways. He took a seat on the edge, looking down on the ground below. The wind pushed against his back again, causing Bam to grip onto the edge. He turned his eyes to the building across the street, wondering what might have been there before the matching steel monstrosity to the one he lived in.
A small chuckle formed in Bam’s throat, causing him to rub his face. The last time he had come up here was to try and escape his problems. Now, he was escaping to this place to try and face his problems. Life was just funny sometimes.
Chapter One
http://community.livejournal.com/__vam/4231585.html?view=59579041#t59579041
Chapter Two
http://community.livejournal.com/__vam/4233775.html#cutid1
Chapter Three
http://community.livejournal.com/__vam/4240673.html?view=59682337#t59682337
Chapter Four
http://community.livejournal.com/__vam/4244015.html?view=59732015#t59732015
Author: myforgottenpain
Pairing: Vam
Rating: R for language and violence.
Summary: “Don't let go... because if you won't, then I won't...”
Disclaimer: I don't own anything connected to Ville Valo, or Bam Margera. (Or anyone else mentioned) Nor do I imply that in reality they are anything but friends. The only character I own in this whole story is Eevi. Additionally the title and summary obviously belong to our lovely Ville.
Authors Notes: This story has been about five years in the making. I'm still shocked that this is happening. Hopefully it will be as good as I hope it is.
Guest appearances made by: Johnny Knoxville, Brandon Novak, Ryan Dunn, Larui Ylonen, Anita and Kari Valo, the always beautiful Jonne “little pixie” Aaron, Tuomas from Nightwish, Jussi and Jyrki from 69 Eyes and the men of Apocalyptica. So many pretty Finns! Do I have enough?
**I can't believe I forgot this... but this is a vampire fic... so it's AU. xD and dedicated to the lovely beta: Slasher48 thanks again darling!
"You really think so?" Novak asked, taking a large bite of his hot dog.
They were at a local diner, a disgusting shack of a place, where the hygiene of the employees was constantly questionable and yet, they always went there. Ryan liked to think it was because the food was cheap. Novak thought it was because most of his family members worked there. Bam, on the other hand, liked to go because of the atmosphere. It wouldn’t be odd to see a teenage couple making out in one of the corner booths. A druggie panhandling next to the door, while a bum took a shower in the bathroom sink was also a common sight.
The grime, smoke, and strange order of the place would have caused everyone from his family to run in fear, but like so much in Bam’s life, he ran to where others ran from.
"I know it's him. I would recognize those eyes anywhere." Bam replied as he poked his french fry into the ketchup. He stared at it in disgust and ended up tossing it down instead of eating it. Rubbing his hands over his face, through his hair, and to his neck he mumbled, "What the hell am I going to do?"
"Do what I said in the first place. Get the hell out of here and lay low for a while." Johnny offered, pointing at Bam with one of his fries. He watched as the cook behind the counter unceremoniously dropped a plate with his hamburger on it and wrinkled his nose. The lettuce was wilted, and the plate had a pink crust on it from what Johnny could only assume was frosting from a previous use. That, and he just had a bad feeling about it. With one finger, he pushed it over to Novak, who devoured it without even bothering to ensure that Johnny was actually giving it to him.
Bam sighed, "I don't think that's the answer."
"Fine, don't take my advice then. When you end up dead, your head ripped off and stuck on a stick, don't come crying to me." Johnny said, smacking Novak's hand away from his fries, those were at least edible.
"But I don't think he wants to hurt me." Bam whispered. He noticed that Novak was taking his fries, but didn’t care enough to stop him. In fact, he pushed the plate over to Novak; it slid over the grease ridden surface of the countertop with ease.
“Thanks Bam.” Novak said as he happily shoved potato wedges into his mouth.
"You just told us that you think the dude is stalking you." Ryan pointed out, wrapping his arms around his own plate while leaning away from Novak.
"Yeah, so what?" Bam asked, taking a drink from his soda. He gagged for a moment, removed the strange hair from his mouth and then took another drink. “What’s your point?”
"Don't you think that's weird?" Ryan asked.
"Weird yes... but does it mean he wants to kill me? I don't know. He has had plenty of chances to do it... yet he hasn't."
*****
"I see you haven't taken my advice..." Jonne purred from his position on his lounge chair. His lanky frame was wrapped in brightly colored blankets, and somehow, he had managed to curl up in the confined space comfortably. His eyes were fixed on a beautiful crystal ball that he had balanced on the tips of his fingers, while his other hand twirled his hair.
"Did you really think I would?" Ville asked from his position lounging on an elegant couch across from where Jonne was.
They had returned to Jonne’s favorite room, a sort of office, where they spent most of their time together. The couch Ville was on and the chair Jonne was matched despite the different cultures they had come from… not to mention the different eras. Jonne’s chair was more along the English style, with a high back and sturdy arms he had one of his legs draped over. The couch Ville was sitting on was very Oriental in style, with a low back and simple design. Both were covered in red fabric, with deep brown frames.
A smirk spread over Jonne's lips and he laughed. "No, I knew you wouldn't. I knew it even before you showed up at my door." The ball flashed a bright lime color that brightened Jonne's eyes.
"Do you know how it ends?" Ville asked softly, his arms draped over his face.
"One can find a multitude of endings; the real task is finding the correct path." Jonne said, knowing how cryptic it was. He looked through the ball and to the distorted image of Ville. "Do you want to know what happens?"
Ville moved his hands to his chest, but looked at the delicate detail in the architecture of the ceiling, instead of his friend. Again, he found himself wondering when it had been constructed. The delicate swirls and precise recreation of cherub faces that gazed back at him. A master must have made it, but who… and when? Jonne had never told him and Ville doubted the possibility of ever finding out. It was a secret from before Ville was alive… one of the many that seemed to surround Jonne. "Would it be worth it? Could... it be worth the risk?"
Jonne let his eyes fall almost completely closed, looking at the ball again and not at Ville. "That's something only you can decide, Ville. What is worth the trouble to one is not the same for another." There was a touch of sadness to his tone, but he offered no further answer to the question.
Ville groaned as he moved from the couch. "Thanks for fucking nothing Jonne. If I needed that cryptic bullshit I would go to a crappy Chinese restaurant and get a goddamn fortune cookie!"
The half-hearted anger in Ville's voice made Jonne laugh. He rose from his seat, causing his blankets to fall to the floor. Carefully, he stepped out of the blankets and walked over to one of his many overcrowded bookshelves, gently placing the ball on its stand. It hovered over the dark wood holder, glowing a bright pink that washed over Jonne's face.
Ville sighed again, "He knows I'm watching him." His voice was softer and somewhat sadder now.
Jonne chuckled and turned to look at Ville. The pink light crawled up his face and into Jonne's eyes, where it disappeared. "He is a clever one. Most mortals are too focused inward to see what's on the outside."
"He intrigues me in a way I have never experienced before." Ville said, moving closer to Jonne.
For a moment, Jonne's attention was drawn to the crystal ball again, as it was shining with a bright purple color that surprised Ville. He had never seen it do that before.
"The feeling is mutual." Jonne said plainly, further surprising Ville. Jonne laughed some more, turned, and walked to his window.
Ville looked at the crystal ball carefully, but he only saw a delicate sphere that could have been nothing more than a bubble.
"Do not act so innocent, Ville. I know you have peeked into his mind." Jonne said bluntly, looking at Ville over his shoulder.
Ville was taken aback for a moment, but was soon laughing right along with Jonne. He walked over to his friend, looking out of the window with him, "Only because you have peeked into mine."
A reserved smile lingered on Jonne's lips as he closed his eyes. "It's hard to ignore the way your mind screams for him."
"I can't let him go." Ville whispered.
"Because you let him get under your skin," Jonne said, turning so he could look at Ville fully. "He wants to understand you as much as you want to understand him," he stated, which made Ville look at him. Jonne chuckled and walked away from Ville, his hands folded and resting on his lower back.
Ville recomposed himself. "I should let him go... before it's too late."
"It's already too late." Jonne looked to Ville, seeing how torn his friend was. It made the smile fade on Jonne's lips. "You will never let him go."
"I can't." Ville corrected as they both looked away from each other.
"You won't." Jonne said simply. He was standing next to another shelf, this one containing a little wooden box with dozens of little drawers, the kind the might contain dried herbs for medicine… some did in fact. Some were also missing, leaving gaps on the smooth, tan colored surface. One of his hands rose up to gently pull a drawer open. He pulled something out and held it tightly in his hand as he walked back over to Ville. "You could if you wanted to." He said to Ville's back before slowly walking around him. "Does it hurt that much to push him from your thoughts?" He asked softly.
Ville did not meet Jonne's eyes, but his answer came quickly and softly. "Is he in my thoughts that much?"
"Yes."
"Then yes - it hurts that much." Ville said, meeting Jonne's gaze. He didn't understand Jonne's expression or what lie in his eyes. Ville had long since given up trying to comprehend it, knowing he would never see the world the way Jonne did. But for one moment, he imagined there was a sense of understanding in his friend’s eyes. He felt Jonne take his hand and press something small into it. Carefully, Jonne closed Ville's hand, holding it in both of his own as he brought it up and kissed Ville's knuckles. Ville maintained his eye contact with Jonne, knowing better then to question it.
"Take this Ville.... and go to him. Show him what he wants to know. Then, if he still cannot let you go... follow your heart. No matter the consequences are."
***
Bam was gliding down the street on his skateboard. For once the sky was clear, letting the stars shine down on him. It had rained most of the day and the damp sidewalk splashed water up on his shoes. His hands were shoved into the pocket of his hoodie, a slight flush to his cheeks from the cool air. Despite the fact that everyone had congregated at the stadium for a concert, Bam knew the empty streets were deceptive. He was not alone, nor had he been alone for a few weeks now. Not since he had met the handsome stranger.
He would catch him every once in a while, always from far away, lingering on the edge of a crowd, slipping into a shadow, or walking just out of Bam's line of sight. Sometimes he would walk right by Bam, brushing their shoulders together. But no matter what, he always vanished before Bam could get to him.
Then there were times like this, when Bam didn't see him, but he could feel him. He knew that he was being followed and watched, but he wasn't frightened. He probably should have been, but he was too interested in finding out what was happening. There was something about the whole situation that led him to believe that it wasn't one sided, that the stranger was just as enticed as he was.
When the feeling became too much for Bam to bear, he came to a stop. Popping his board up so he could grab it without bending down, he started walking, dragging the deck against the sidewalk. He closed his eyes and imagined that the stranger was next to him, picturing his intense green eyes in his mind.
He started talking, describing his day and how much he hated his family. More than once people had walked in on him doing this, eyeing Bam like he had gone insane. For the most part, Bam didn't care. But he did wish he could talk to the person directly and hear what they had to say.
"Johnny had another bad dream last night. He says I should catch a shuttle out of the city and get the hell away from you. You really have him freaked out. Maybe it’s because you like to silently follow me around? Maybe it's because I am now talking to myself like some sort of crazy person? Who knows? It would be nice if you came out of the shadows and just acted like a normal person. You know... come over, have a few beers... chase some skirts around. Normal guy stuff?"
Bam stopped and looked around for any sign of life. A stray cat sprang from a turned over garbage can, but nothing else. He sighed unhappily and turned, wondering if he had made a mistake in not going with the others to see the concert.
It was common practice for this part of town to all go together. Since most people didn’t have a lot of money, nor did they have an actual stadium, they just sort of gathered in a large field on the other side of town and had a giant block party. People brought what they could and everything was shared. The music was all local bands and it was done for fun… a chance to rage against society and release tension… instead of for profit.
He was thinking about this when he spotted something just off to the side, through the corner of his eyes. Jumping, he spotted the man a few feet away from him.
"Ummm... hey?" Bam offered meekly, shivering as he waited for something to happen.
While a sense of adventure had initially made him so relaxed in this otherwise creepy situation, it was a love of being adored that had kept him interested in the stranger. The fact that someone was so interested in him that they had to resort to these measures pleased Bam in a way he had never known before.
Thunder rolled in the distance and the wind suddenly grew colder. The man walked over to Bam, holding an umbrella over his head. He stopped in front of Bam, who lost himself to the exquisite green depths of his eyes. He passed the umbrella to Bam and smiled, looking behind Bam for a moment. He leaned in and whispered, "See you tonight... in your dreams."
Bam gasped; the man's voice was so deep and rich, carrying the same accent as the blond had.
"Hey Bam!" Novak yelled, distracting Bam for a moment. He quickly looked back, but the figure was gone. He sighed, as a few drops of rain fell on them, looking down as Novak appeared next to him. "He's alright! I told you he was fine!"
Ryan and Johnny came running over to them. Ryan stopped next to Bam, while Johnny took several more steps and stopped close to where the stranger had been standing. "Is he gone?"
"Yes." Bam mumbled unhappily.
Ryan and Novak were in shock. "Holy shit! He was actually here?" Novak exclaimed.
"You just missed him." Bam added, looking to Johnny, who finally came over to them.
"HA! I told you he was here." Johnny said happily, as they huddled under the rather large umbrella, just in time for the rain to start coming down harder.
Ryan shook his head. "Damn... you're actually getting better."
Johnny nodded, sighing a little. "Though I wish it wasn't about something like this."
***
Dropping his board to the floor, Bam flopped into his bed. He yawned, tired and confused about what he should do. Crawling into bed, he snuggled into his sheets. Sleep came easily to him, but his normal dreams did not follow.
***
Bam yawned and rolled over in his bed, stretching. Morning seemed to come earlier and earlier. He sat up and was shocked to see what had happened. Scrambling back against the headboard, his eyes moved over the room. It was definitely not his room anymore. It looked more like the spare room at Dunn's house, which had served as Johnny’s bedroom since they had dropped out of high school. But that couldn't be right… and he hadn’t had anything to drink, so he knew that wasn't what was causing this.
"You were comfortable here." A male voice said, caressing Bam as gently as silk. He recognized it instantly as the man that had been stalking him.
"What?" Bam exclaimed, struggling out of the bed. He was still wearing his t-shirt and jeans from the night before. "Who are you?"
"You think of this place as your home." The male voice explained, as Bam looked in different rooms, looking for its owner. "That's why I picked this place, so you would feel safe. Do you really want to know who I am?"
"Umm, thanks? And yes... yes! It's nice to have a name to give your shrink when you tell her about how you're going fucking bonkers." Bam replied, opening a door he couldn't remember actually being there, finding that it revealed a flight of stairs.
It looked like it might go on for miles, this mystery staircase. The yellow paint on the walls was cracked and peeling and he could hear the faint groan as if the wind was actually pushing on a house… this house. Dunn’s house was as pissy as some of the people who lived in it. This place reminded Bam of that detail.
Bam took the stairs two at a time, without a second guess. When he was about halfway up, the door at the bottom slammed shut behind him, cloaking him in darkness. A moment of panic made his heart rate increase, as he carefully continued the rest of the way.
Tired and exhausted, he reached the top and fumbled for a minute with the doorknob, before he got it open. Bright light hit him and made him wince from the pain. For a moment, he almost ducked back into the hallway to get away from it.
"You're not crazy." The voice said, catching Bam's attention. He quickly walked out of the doorway, shielding his eyes from the light that assaulted him. The voice had definitely come from just ahead of him.
"How can you be sure?" Bam asked, slowly moving forward, unsure of what he was going to find.
"Because I am not a voice in your head...,at least not all the time."
The light finally fell away, leaving Bam disoriented, especially since it was suddenly so dark. He staggered, rubbing his eyes for a moment before his vision cleared. His eyes went wide when he finally could see where he was. He was standing on the roof of his own apartment complex, the tallest of the inner city towers. Several yards in front of him, sitting on the edge of the rooftop, was the stranger. He was wearing the same long black jacket from before. One of his legs was pulled close, while the other one was dangling over the edge of the roof. He didn’t turn around to look at Bam, but remained sitting with his back to the mortal.
Bam attempted to move closer, but felt like his feet were frozen in their place. "Is this real?"
There was something about the other man's tone that said he found Bam's question amusing. "As real as you want it to be." His eyes remained closed his eyes as wind rushed over them. "I'm sorry for the way my friend acted when we first met. He is... a little protective of me."
Bam’s attention was still on the ground under him, trying to figure out what was preventing him from moving.
"Is that why you don't bring him along on your stalking missions?" He looked to the other man’s back for a moment, before looking down again, pulling on his left leg and then the right, with no more success than before.
A small smile formed on the other man's lips and his eyes sparkled. "Who said I was stalking you?"
Bam grinned, "I call showing up every place someone else does, but refusing to interact with said person directly, stalking. Look it up in the dictionary. I bet it has a picture of you next to it... stalker."
His smile grew, "I wouldn't call it stalking."
Bam looked at him, watching his back for a moment. "Oh yeah, Stalker, what would you call it?"
"Observing."
Bam laughed, his tone mildly sarcastic, "Observing? You’re completely right, that's so much better than stalking."
"It's not nearly as creepy as the term stalking."
Bam gave up on trying to move forward and tried to move backwards, pleased when he was allowed to move in at least that direction. Taking a seat on the roof, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the cool, soothing breeze, and how it didn't smell like trash.
"You have an answer for everything, don't you?"
"So do you."
Bam chuckled some more. "What's your name?" There was silence for a moment and Bam was worried he wouldn't answer.
"Ville."
Bam grinned, "Ville?" He liked that name, it was fun to say and he liked how it rolled off his tongue. He repeated it a few times, closing his eyes once more. "What kind of name is Ville?"
"What kind of name is Bam?" Ville asked.
"It's what my friends call me. I'm not the most graceful of people." Bam explained.
Ville shook his head, "I wouldn't necessarily agree with that statement." He looked to Bam finally, turning in his spot to do so, amused by the confused look Bam was giving him. "You seem pretty graceful on that skateboard of yours."
Bam blushed and looked away. "There you go... being my stalker again." Another moment of silence while Bam chewed on his lip. "Will you ever let my friends meet you?" His voice was softer now and not as assertive as before.
"Someday." Ville replied, standing up.
Bam scrambled to his feet, amazed at how fluidly Ville was able to move. The wind continued to blow, rustling Bam's clothes and Ville's coat.
"Where are you going?"
"You should rest Bam. We will talk again soon." Ville replied.
"No... wait... there's so much I want to ask you," Bam started, but Ville extended his hand out towards the skater, so his palm was lined up with Bam's forehead. He whispered the word sleep and then Bam suddenly felt heavy and tired. He struggled against it for as long as he could, before his body gave up the struggle, causing him to drop to his knees. He watched through partly closed eyes as Ville jumped from the roof of the building.
When Bam fell over, sound asleep, he did not hit the roof of the building, but his own bed. There he continued to sleep for the rest of the day.
***
As soon as Bam woke up, he went to the roof of his building. Most of him knew he wouldn’t find anything, let alone the stranger. But that dream had been so real… he just had to go there.
Then door at the end of the staircase was open, just as it had been when he used to sneak up here as a teenager, not that it had been that long since he had done that.
The rusted metal of the hinges creaked as he pushed the door open and stepped out onto the roof. The day was horribly hot, not that he was aware of it. The sun was barely above the horizon line as he stepped fully from the building, the gravel covered roof crunching under his bare feet.
Wind rushed over him, chilling him despite the actual warmth. The bright oranges and reds of the sunset were blinding after he had slept for so long. This was just how the dream had felt. His whole body was tense, as he willed it to look at the edge were the stranger had sat.
No, his mind corrected, that was where Ville had sat.
Of course he was no longer there, but Bam walked over there anyways. He took a seat on the edge, looking down on the ground below. The wind pushed against his back again, causing Bam to grip onto the edge. He turned his eyes to the building across the street, wondering what might have been there before the matching steel monstrosity to the one he lived in.
A small chuckle formed in Bam’s throat, causing him to rub his face. The last time he had come up here was to try and escape his problems. Now, he was escaping to this place to try and face his problems. Life was just funny sometimes.
Chapter One
http://community.livejournal.com/__vam/4231585.html?view=59579041#t59579041
Chapter Two
http://community.livejournal.com/__vam/4233775.html#cutid1
Chapter Three
http://community.livejournal.com/__vam/4240673.html?view=59682337#t59682337
Chapter Four
http://community.livejournal.com/__vam/4244015.html?view=59732015#t59732015