BRANCE + RINNEY

spoiled milk and chewing gum

-
When Finn didn't feel safe at home, the place he once called his sanctuary at such a young age, he'd go to one of two places.

Vance's house, or Robin's.

He intended to pick one of those options today, yet he found himself in quite a predicament.

Neither one of the boys were home, meaning he couldn't go to either of their homes either.

But, luckily for Finn, he had another friend.

Bruce Yamada.
-

Finn's eyes stung horribly, burned by the large clumps of tears hiding behind them. His head was cut, extending from somewhere near his scalp down towards his lips. His body was aching, trembling with fear and lack of sleep as he wobbled towards his window.

With his phone gripped tightly in his hand, Finn opened his window and ran.

-

Bruce gazed at his television, eyes trained on the screen sleepily as he yawned. It was midnight, the dark sky making the illuminated screen stretch along the wall in eerily forms.

Bruce wasn't scared, not at all. Or, not until a knock on his window startled him into a standing position.

Finn stood a few inches away from the glass, bloody and bruised and one glance easily told how tired he was. His fingers seemed to tremble where they lay near his sides, scratching at the worn fabric of his sweater.

Bruce's window opened, screeching as it hit the top of the frame. Finn winced, offering an embarrassed smile as Bruce stared at him.

"Finn? What the fuck are you doing out there?" Bruce's voice was calm, in an out of place way. It made Finn want to curl up and hide.

"I didn't have another place to go. My dad-,"
"Come inside."

Finn blinked once, taken aback. Bruce rolled his eyes and waved him over, laughing at how the boy seemed to trip over every other movement.

The window shut with a snap after the last bit of Finn's body made it inside safely.

"Let's get you cleaned up, shall we?"

-

Finn flinched at the heat of the water on his body, seeping into his wounds and healed scars. His skin was a fiery red color, other than the blue and purple bruises littered on parts of his arms and legs.

Finn felt his breathing start to labor, choking him in a grasp that reminded him of his father. His heart beat again his chest, thumping thumping thumping as if to constantly remind him of just how alive he was.

Finn wanted to cry. Relieve himself of pain and torture.

-

Bruce gave a concerned look, eyes trailing over Finn as the boy made way into the room. He had changed into a cleaner, nicer pair of clothing. The items were big on him, sure, but the boy didn't seem to mind much.

"Do you wanna talk about it? Your dad, I mean." Bruce cleared his throat, looking away for a moment as if he had intruded on something. Finn nodded, the tiredness in his body making his eyes droop. He moved over to Bruce and sat down, rubbing his hands together as if he had just come in from a winter storm.

"Sometimes I-, I don't feel like I should. I feel mad at myself, angry that I can't take the hits and punches and abuse. Every time I see a bruise, it makes me feel like complete shit. I'm so pathetic." Finn had his head in his hands, no tears falling from his eyes. Bruce turned his eyes away from him, anger seeping through him like an electric current. He didn't want that to be aimed at Finn.

"I'm going to call Vance real quick. Stay put, I'll be back." Finn didn't say anything when Bruce stood, though he did smile, a tiny one, when the boy looked back before leaving.

-

Vance was angry. Robin was angry. Bruce was angry.

Finn, who was curled into himself in Bruce's room, either seemed to not notice the commotion a floor below him, or he had been ignoring it.

"I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him." Vance had his fists balled up, trying so, so hard not to use them in the heat of the moment. Robin remained silent, teeth biting into the side of his mouth as his eyes stared at the pacing boy. Bruce stood in front of the two, arms crossed over his chest as he tapped his foot.

"Vance. Stop moving, you're gonna make me have an aneurysm." Robin rubbed at his temple, a long drawn-out sigh coming from his mouth as he did so. Vance stopped moving, breaths coming out quicker than he intended as he turned his back on the other two.

"What are we going to do?" Bruce's eyes flickered between the two boys, voice hard and angered. Vance looked at him, cocking his head towards the side as if the other were stupid.

"I'm going to kill him. If you want to help, then help." Robin groaned, head tilting back as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "You can't fucking kill him. Not now at least. We could call law enforcement, child protection services?" Bruce nodded his head, fingers snapping and pointing towards Robin. "Of course. Yeah, let's-, let's do that."

Vance rolled his eyes, unballing his fists in defeat before walking over to the other two who had moved towards the phone.

"Hello, this is 911. What's your emergency?"

-

Finn forced his eyes open, grumbling at the heaviness that fought against him. He thought he heard someone talking. Or more so, a group of people talking.

Finn rubbed at his eyes and stood from Bruce's bed, legs heavy and painful as he walked towards the stairs.

"His name is Finney Blake, yes? You said he's here. Is there a way I can talk to him?" The officer that had come to Bruce's house was old, experienced, but a bit on the weird side. Vance backed away from him, later mentioning that he smelled of sweat and old people candy.

"I believe he's sleeping right now. But I could go wake him up." Robin had his arms crossed, standing in a defensive stance as he eyed the older man. "Ah, yes of course. I'll wait."

Bruce nodded at Robin, moving beside Vance as the officer cleared his throat and smiled.

Finn gave Robin a confused look as the boy came speed-walking towards him.

"Woah, what's got you in a rush?" Finn's voice was laced with amusement, despite his darkened eyes and tired stance. "Finn. There's a police officer here for you."

"What? I didn't do anything illegal." Robin stifled a laugh, smiling wide as Finn glared at him. "It's not about anything like that. It's about your dad."

"Oh. Do they want like a-, uh, statement? On what he does to me?" Finn looked at the ground, eyes blurry and filled with fear as Robin tilted his face upwards, eyes meeting with his. "Yes. But, you don't have to worry. Vance, Bruce, and I will be there right beside you."

Finn smiled at Robin, an irregular glow of happiness emitting from him as he allowed the boy to lead him to the other three people in the home.

"You must be Finney Blake? Well, let's get started."