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Bruce and Vance were both inside, listening to music. Mrs and Mr Yamada had a collection full of cds and vinyls. The set up looked very nice.
They sat on the hardwood maple floors, picking vinyls.
Vance sat in silence looking for a specific genre, before letting out a small ‘tsk’. Bruce turned his heads towards Vance in an inquisitive way.
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s no rock in here… where’s the good stuff Bruce?”
Bruce chuckled and shook his head, nudging into his partner slightly.
“My dad isn’t a huge rock and roll fan… but we do have pop.”
“Well isn’t that fucking nice.” Vance sneered before leaning into Bruce as well.
Vance kept searching until he pulled something out with a curious look. His fingers grazing it gently. It was a face of an Asian woman, wearing a suit. At the bottom, her name was on the vinyl. Miki Matsubara. Vance hummed before turning to Bruce.
“Who’s this?” His voice dripped with interest that was only shown in conversations pertaining towards pinball or books.
“Hm?” Bruce eyes looked at the record before thinking. He didn’t remember anything about the record from the top of his head.
“Must be from my parents. I never listened to it personally.” He paused for a moment before looking at the record player, then back to Vance.
“Do you wish to try it? We can if you’d like?”
Vance nodded and carefully took the vinyl out of its packaging, with a delicacy. Bruce opened the record player’s protective layer and moved the needle. Vance placed the vinyl on the turntable, and Bruce moved the needle ontop carefully.
It took a few moments but the music began playing. The first few words were English, but it quickly turned into Japanese.
Vance couldn’t understand a thing, but he allowed the song to play out. He listened carefully. It had a nice tune.
Bruce on the other hand, began to understand it. He did listen to this song before. His mother used to play with this when he was no littler than a toddler. He beamed once the tune flowed into his head, once a distant memory to a close and intimate memory.
Bruce stood up, and yanked Vance up.
“Oof— what the hell Golden Boy,”. Vance groaned in complain, but it didn’t take much to remove the grumpiness from him.
“Stay with me (stay with me)
真夜中のドアをたたき (stay with me)
帰らないでと泣いた”
The music played with an eloquent and sweet tune. Bruce started dancing and dragging Vance with him. It was very clumsy at first and Vance complained a few times.
“Bruce— oh my gosh— EEP!” Vance yelped as he lost his footing and fell. This resulting in Bruce falling on top of Vance, laughing his ass off.
“Loosen up, Pinball. Dancing won’t kill you.”Bruce’s smile was radiant like always, and he was just stunning. Bruce’s eyes stared down at blonde and blue eyed boy beneath him, practically glowing.
Vance frowned. “Says the one who’s ontop of me, and made me lose my footing.”
Bruce shook his head with love and care, and rubbed his beloved’s shoulders. The music still playing in the background.
Vance eased into Bruce’s touches, and closed his eyes. Allowing the environment to fill his conscious. His muscles relaxed under the soothing, cool, touch.
It was moments of silence before Vance blue eyes opened again, looking at Bruce.
“Bruce… I don’t understand a thing this song says, but it’s very… nice.” He muttered the last part. He didn’t like to admit it, but he could find himself enjoying other genres other than rock and roll.
“It is a nice song. I do remember my mother playing this while she took care of me and my sister while my father was at work.” He smiles fondly at the memory, before his eyes found Vance’s once more.
“How about this time, we dance to it, and I translate it for you?”
“You know Japanese? How come… you never told me?”
Bruce shrugs absentminded, rolling off of Vance, and helping him up.
“I’m not as fluent as my parents. They’re immigrants. I’m more Americanized I guess. My Japanese isn’t… as good as theirs o guess. So I never thought it was important to mention.” He paused for a moment, debating his next set of words, before finally giving in. “You know how my father is, with his Japanese pride. So I still did learn something. Just not as much as he’d like.”
Bruce chuckled at a silly thought. “Besides, you didn’t just assume I was.. well.. because I’m…?”
Vance scoffed. “I don’t have my head that far up my ass, Yamada. I wouldn’t make any racial assumption off of you. Not denying the obvious but that’s insane to me.”
Bruce walked over to the vinyl, and restarted the single to the beginning. He came back over to Vance and awkwardly put his hands on Vance’s waist. Vance was hesitant but his hands found Bruce’s shoulders. While the song was more upbeat, starting slow and getting comfortable was the best set of action.
Bruce lips opened to translate for Vance to the best of his ability, but Vance quickly stopped him.
“Bruce… I’m sorry to cut you off, but I have a question.”
“Hm?”
“Can I hear you… uh… speak Japanese? If you don’t mind of course.” Vance sounded so shy and Bruce couldn’t help but smile even more. Vance was never shy.
“Of course. I don’t mind.” Bruce said the phrases he did know. His tongue flowing with the beautiful words of his mother’s language. Even if some were a bit hesitant.
Vance’s breath hitched, and hearing Bruce sing and lean towards his culture was beautiful in itself.
That’s when Vance realized, he loved Bruce in more ways than he could ever explain. He loved every aspect of Bruce. Every single thing about Bruce, he came to adore and appreciate. Right now? He was loving the Bruce who wasn’t ashamed of his Japanese side. Who tried his best to keep his culture strong in his tongue. He loved that Bruce did this on his own accord and not his father’s.
Vance Hopper loved every version of Bruce Yamada.