Chapter Text
There was somebody in his room for the third time that week. Bruce could feel eyes on him. The presence was looming over him. He didn't know how long it had been since he first noticed. It had been a while.
Each night that week he had woken up to somebody whispering softly near him and the slight chill of the open window. He hadn't told anybody. Why didn't he tell anybody? He could have been safe if he told somebody.
He didn't want to make it obvious he was awake, incase that made the intruder hurt him. But he also wanted to run. His home was supposed to be safe, so why was somebody in his room?
Bruce struggled to keep his face relaxed as he felt fingers run through his hair. The touch was almost gentle but it only scared Bruce more.
"I know you're awake Brucey."
Bruce jolted as the fingers gripped his hair tightly. He cried out as he made eye contact with somebody. It only took a few moments to recognise the Grabber.
"What do you want?" Bruce whispered, eyes darting to the door. "I'll scream. My parents will come." A lie. His family were away- his parents at his aunt's house for the night and Amy at her friends. He hoped the Grabber didn't know that.
His hopes were destroyed as the Grabber laughed softly, as if Bruce had just told him a joke. Bruce could only watch as the Grabber threw his head back and laughed loudly, hand moving from Bruce's hair to around his throat. Bruce's breath hitched as he felt a slight squeeze- a warning.
"Oh Bruce. Why do you think I chose to visit you?" His breath fanned over Bruce's face, making the boy gag. "I know you're alone. You probably thought I wouldn't go after you, hm?" The Grabber giggled.
Bruce squeezed his eyes shut as he felt something cool against his neck. He gasped softly as he felt the blade pierce his skin, followed by a trail of bright red blood.
Bruce took a deep breath before he kicked his legs out, hitting the Grabber in the gut. He watched as the man grunted. Not wasting any more time, he rushed out of his room. He stumbled slightly as he ran down the stairs.
He mentally thanked his parents for getting him into baseball. He didn't think he would be able to outrun the Grabber without those years of training.
He ran down the street barefoot, wishing he had grabbed his phone before he ran. His legs ached by the time he reached a place he deemed safe enough to stop.
Bruce sat pressed against a tree at a park close to his house, hidden from the road. He held his breath as he saw the Grabbers black van drive past slowly.
Finally, after a while of waiting, Bruce stood. He rubbed his eyes as tears dropped. He didn't think it was fair that he was crying while his friends had been through so much worse. After a few deep breaths, he started to make his way towards Vances house.
There was a trail of blood from the park to Vance's house. Bruce's feet had been cut up while he ran, something he had failed to notice until he was climbing through Vance's window, grunting as he collapsed onto the ground.
"Bruce?"
Vance was at Bruce's side in seconds, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend's side. Bruce slumped onto Vance.
"He was in my room. He was in my room. What if it wasn't the first time? How many times has he been in my room?"
Vance silently held Bruce as the younger cried, face squished against Vances shoulder.
4:21AM
pinballchamp: the grabber was in bruces house
he just came to my house after running away.
hes fucking scared
downbad4robin: that mother fucker
is bruce okay? did he hurt him?
pinballchamp: his feet are really fucked up from running with no shoes on but besides that hes ok
downbad4robin: good. we need a plan, clearly hes targeting our group
bandannabitch: what can we do?
downbad4robin: kill him
pinballchamp: really? thats shocking from you
downbad4robin: im sick of this guy hurtingthe periple i love
paperboi: i would happily watch him die
lionbird: same. hes a fucking creep
pinballchamp: bruce agrees. he wont stop unless hes in prison or dead
bandannabitch: so what? we gonna kill this fucker?
downbad4robin: yes
pinballchamp: sounds like a plan to me
Bruce felt eyes on him as he walked down the street towards school. He didn't question it. His mind was stuck elsewhere.
It was only when he got to the school did he realise something was wrong. People were giving him concerned looks or looks of absolute glee.
Finally he found his friends in a classroom, deadly silent. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him, immediately taking note of the way Vance, Finney and Billy were bunched up, with Griffin's face pressed against Billy's side as he cried loudly. Robin was pacing the room, having just punched the wall if the dent and the bloody knuckles were anything to go by.
"Guys?" Bruce frowned as he looked around at the group. A week had passed since he saw the Grabber in his house and they all looked so tired and worn out.
"Bruce. He posted pictures of us all in our houses." Finney made his way to Bruce. Immediately Bruce pulled Finney into a tight hug as his friend sobbed loudly.
"All of us? He's been in all of our houses?" Bruce whispered, looking sick. His eyes got cloudy as Vance nodded. It wasn't long before he was crying just as much as Finney.
It wasn't fair. He wondered why the Grabber targeted them specifically. Why them and why not anybody else? Why was it them who had to suffer so much?
The six boys stood in the classroom, in various states of anxiety. The Grabber had destroyed the only places they felt safe, and they knew that he knew it.
Not only that, but now everybody at school had seen them in their most vulnerable state. He was ruining their lives every moment he was alive.
They needed to kill him.