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Vance is absolutely clueless about how this happened.
He's standing in the right-handed batter's box, Bruce standing in the left one. Vance is holding Bruce's old bat, while Bruce holds his new one. He has his perfect golden boy smile on his face, and it makes Vance want to scowl at him.
"Vance, copy me."
"Why the shit would I do that?"
"Because I'm teaching you how to properly swing a bat. Now follow what I do."
Bruce holds the bat above his shoulder, swinging it up and down slightly. Vance holds it the wrong way, and Bruce sighs, realizing he forgot the most important part.
"Shit. I forgot to show you how to hold a bat. And how to stand. Wow, I'm a terrible teacher!" Bruce laughs. Vance didn't find it funny at all but spared him a small smile anyways.
"Okay, you're gonna spread your legs about shoulder-width apart -- don't say it, Vance."
Bruce immediately notices Vance snickering at his wording choice.
Bruce shakes his head with a smile, "You're so childish!"
Neither of them know where this sudden soft spot came from for the other, but they don't mind. They've been a more immense comfort for each other than they realize.
Once Vance had followed his first demand, Bruce grabs his hands and positioned them correctly around the bat.
"And then you put your hands up like this," Bruce puts Vance's hands above his shoulder.
Vance glares at home plate, "So that's it?"
"Bend your knees a little bit and you've officially passed the basics."
When Bruce decided Vance looked good, he taught him how to swing the bat.
"You dip your shoulder just slightly and swing. Pretty simple, right?"
"Yeah, pretty fucking simple, bitch. I don't play your stupid fucking sport, idiot."
"V, it's-"
"V?"
"Yeah, V. It's a nickname."
"I know what a nickname is, dumbass," Vance snarls, but Bruce doesn't crack.
"Well, since everyone calls you Pinball Vance, I thought I should make up my own name for you. You know, since we're friends."
He's not sure if the grin on Bruce's face makes him want to throw up, punch him in the face, or smile back. His smile is perfect. Too perfect. Vance doesn't understand how everything about him just fits him. It doesn't make any sense.
"V, you need to actually swing the bat to learn how to do it."
Vance snaps out of his thoughts at Bruce's voice, "I'm getting to that, shit face."
"Yeah, well, get to it faster."
"Don't be fucking impatient."
"You were zoned out for like five minutes, so now, I can be impatient if I want to."
"Whatever."
Vance swings the bat, and it looks like he would take the catcher's head off while completely missing the ball, even if it was a perfectly thrown strike.
Bruce stares at him. Vance glares, "What?" He snaps.
"I just... We need to work on this."
"You need to work on being fucking nicer."
"Says you!" Bruce laughs.
"Don't start, Golden Boy."
Bruce raises his hands in defense, "I'm not!"
"Just show me how to swing, idiot."
"Just try to copy me."
Bruce's swing is perfect. Vance is sure that Bruce could hit it no matter where the ball was. Maybe not on his first try, but he definitely doesn't ever strike out.
"Okay, your turn."
"Fuck."
Vance swings again. It's better, but instead of taking off the catcher's head, he looks like he's about to fall over.
"We'll keep working on it, okay? I'm not giving up that easily."
"What if I want you to give up on me, huh?"
Bruce shrugs, "Too bad."
They practice swinging the bat for another thirty minutes. Vance had thrown the bat 12 times, slammed it into the dirt 37 times, and almost threw it with all his power at the boy in front of him 53 times. Yeah, Vance kept track. That's how pissed he was. And somehow, despite all of Vance's abuse to the bat, Bruce stayed there, helping him get it right.
"Tomorrow, we should work on something else, like catching or fielding. I was thinking maybe I could get Finney and Robin up here to teach you a few things about pitching and catching," Bruce suggests.
"Robin doesn't play baseball."
"Finney forces him to catch for his pitches. Trust me, I know."
This year, Finney and Bruce are on the same team, and Finney does not shut up about Robin. To be fair, everyone thinks Robin is just his best friend, and their entire team talks about their friends, but Bruce knows better.
Bruce cringes, "Now I'm imagining Robin wearing full catcher's gear, and I feel very weird."
"I don't even know what the hell catcher's gear is, but whatever it is, I don't want to think about it."
"Trust me, it's nothing bad, it's just awkward thinking about it. But anyways, we should get home. It's getting dark."
Bruce packs up all his things and begins to walk home. Vance's arm makes its way around his shoulder, and they walk like that the entire way home.
"You know, V, I heard there was another kidnapper or murderer or something."
Vance looks down at Bruce, "Yeah? Who said that?"
"Billy Showalter. It's in the school newspaper he made with Griffin Stagg. He said it was a rumour going around, but neither of them know who started it and if it's true, but I guess we'll find out eventually," Bruce shrugs.
"I'll protect you from whoever this kidnapper murderer thing is. They're probably weak anyway."
Bruce smiles, "That's nice of you, Vance."
"I know," Vance smiles mockingly.
Bruce elbows him, "Don't be stupid."
Vance gasps dramatically, his free hand clutching his chest, "How could you call me stupid? You're supposed to be nice."
Bruce laughs, "Be quiet."
"Are you gonna walk me home or am I walking with you to your place?" Vance asks.
"You're coming to mine."
Vance shrugs, "Alright."
"You're staying over."
"Huh?"
"You know what a sleepover is, right, V?"
Vance rolls his eyes, "Yeah, I know what a sleepover is. I'm not that stupid."
"You're staying at my house and having a sleepover. And before you ask, my parents don't care, and Amy is over at Susie's with Gwen. And I doubt your parents care where you are as long as you get home."
Vance stares at him in shock. He blinks and says, "...Okay."
"When we get to my house, I'm putting my baseball stuff away, then we're turning on either a horror movie or an action movie and eating popcorn and then we're going to bed."
"Are we actually going to bed or are we staying up all night?"
"We're staying up all night, obviously. Why would you think anything different?"