France & Villy Oneshots • Tbp <3

The 30th (brinney)

-fluff & angst
-brinney
- TW// implied SA

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Bruce was lucky-if he ever heard those words again he would scream, sure he was alive but it wasn't like he was exactly thriving in his hosipital bed. Yet somehow his shattered arm and broken ribs still remained the least of his problems, he was tired and lifeless, nothing could grow behind the eyes, not even a spark.

Bruce and the other boys were left for dead when the poilce had found their withered half alive bodies scattered across the basement floor of the house they had been thrown into after the grabber had gotten bored of them. After being transferred from the original basement to the one across the street, the only time they saw the man was to get food-which became more and more difficult to get with each day-besides those few seconds that only came around every so often, they were alone, left to rot.

No one, not even themselves, expected the victims to hang on for as long as they did, the grabber most definitely didn't-he had expected Griffin to stop eating less than a week of being trapped down there with nothing but two broken legs and nowhere to run, but he didn't, he lasted 3 years.

Bruce could bearly last a day, but he did and he really didn't know how. Now, he laid asleep in his hospital bed, alone just like the basement but this time there was a hopeful face.

Finney had never told anyone about the calls he had recieved from the black phone-aka the figments of his imagination that felt so real in the moment yet remained immposible. When he walked out of that nightmare of a house and saw the five boys across the street he began thinking that what had happened was simply just his brain trying to cope, but the sadness, the voices, the tips that literally gave him a fighing chance all felt so real.

Finney didn't really know Bruce, not even after his phone call-all he knew was that he thought his arm was mint and that he was glad it was him, whatever that meant. Going off of the theory that it was all just in Finney's head-why did he want Bruce specifically to say that to him, why not Robin, someone he actually knew? And going off of the theory that somehow the calls were coming from some sort of weird parellel universe-why did Bruce say that to Finney of all people? someone he didn't even know.

Finney was sitting next to Bruce's hospital bed, he read a book to pass the time as he waited for the boy to wake up. He didn't want to be rude and force him up when it was obvious that he needed the rest, but even with the cracks on his lips and bags under his eyes-he was so peaceful, just like a painting whose color was flaking and cracking with the harsh crescendo that was time, the original disease, the original serial killer.

Finney removed his curious gaze from the boy and turned the page of his book. "What are you reading?" Finney jumped from the unintenional scare, quickly readjusting himself as his heartbeat slowed back down, the boy had woken up so suddenly, Finney was just watching him. "Sorry," Bruce smiled softly and for the first time in a while he found it difficult to even pretend to be happy which was the only thing he was good at. "It's okay," Finney gave the same sad sort of half smile back. "Finney, Finney Blake," Bruce reminded himself and the boy nodded, almost surprised that he remembered him.

"My arm was mint, you almost had me," Finney qouted and suddenly the call popped into his head, the last time they had spoken Bruce was literally dead. "I know you probably don't care that I'm here-we didn't really know each other-but I just wanted to..." Finney wasn't sure why he was there, to be honest he just wanted to see Bruce. "...I guess I just wanted to be here, we didn't have time to be friends, you know? But I would like that," He continued.

Bruce wiped away the tears that had fallen from his glassy eyes with a smile. "Are you okay?" Finney asked, knowing the answer but trying to pry for one anyways. "I don't know why I'm crying, I just-I just think that's really nice of you," Bruce was crying because Finney reminded him off all the things he could've seen, all the things he lost and didn't even realize-he had his life stolen from him and he couldn't get that chunk back, time was an asshole like that. "Hey, it's no problem. Truth be told, when we first met the whole time I was just thinking about talking to you again, that whole night I was replaying this conversation I made up of what I would've said-which is really embarrassing now that I said it outloud," Bruce wiped away a few more tears before laughing, his smile was one that reminded Finney of that moment again, the moment before everything went wrong.

"Tell me how the conversation would've gone." Bruce wanted to pretend just for a second that in another life they would've been okay.

Bruce moved over a bit on the bed which hurt like hell but he wanted to be close to someone-someone who wasn't his family, who couldn't really understand his unarticulated boundries and someone who definitely wasn't that creep-instead he wanted to be close with someone who understood, with someone that had soft brown hair and whose name was Finney. The boy got up from his chair and lowered himself down to the bed making sure to mind Bruce who was in the hosipital for a reason.

"I would've seen you in public, like at the movies, and I'd want to go up to you and eventually I would, but it would take me longer than I'd like to admit," Finney paused as he felt Bruce lay his head on his shoulder.

"And I'd say hi..." Finney could feel a mixture of sad and happy tears of his own fall as he continued telling his story that could've been their reality if Bruce didn't stop and help that strange man.

"Did you know that humans are made of star dust?" Finney asked mid story, the hand that had found its way into Bruce's hair stopped softly clawing at the strands. "Are you asking me?" Bruce wasn't sure if he was talking to him him or talking to the him in the story. "Yes," Finney nodded with a soft but bright smile. "Well, does that mean I'll explode when I die to?" Bruce asked. "Maybe in a few million years," Finney smiled, his eyes close as he embraced the boy, breathing him in before exhaling slowly-repeating the process.

"Hey, Finn?" Bruce tried to keep his eyes open, failing horribly.

"Yeah?" Finney yawned.

"I'm glad it was you..."

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Notes: this was kinda short but hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!!

The title: The 30th by Billie Eilish :]