BRANCE + RINNEY

the world in tv static

Small fingers wrapped themselves around markers in a tight grip, tracing the numerous outlines of zoo animals with different colors of the rainbow. The utensils made light squeaking noises as they pressed against paper, the ink inside of them spilling onto the table beneath the white bits of artistic mess.

Finn giggled, high-pitched and child-like, as he stared at his drawings. He was five at the time, eyes shining with wonder as he stared at the unused portions of paper and tracing utensils sat beside him. He reached for another slip of white, accidentally knocking a marker or two onto the floor in the process.

The markers clattered onto the floor, a bit too loudly it had seemed as Terrance, the easily angered drunken man that had 'raised' Finn and his sister, came stumbling into the room soon after.

"What did I tell you about disturbing my sleep boy?" The older man's voice was hoarse, dried up from the excessive bitter-tasting alcohol and cigarettes he'd smoke while 'sober'. Finn had tensed, fingers that once held the markers now moving into his lap slowly. "I'm sorry. Didn't mean to."

Terrance had stumbled over to where Finn was sat, hands reaching into the small boy's hair with a familiar sense of anger. Finn winced as sharp pain shot through his head, the hands in it yanking him off of the chair and into the wall.

"Little boys like you should behave. Why aren't you a good boy Finney?" Terrance's voice made Finn's head throb at least two times harder, sending his body into some sort of shock as the feeling traveled through his brain and into his toes.

The last thing he heard was the sound of two things colliding, though he didn't know if his body was one of those things, and the sound of someone screaming.

He had hoped it wasn't Gwen.
-

The sun leaked through Finn's blinds, sending shadows to dance on his walls as it rose into the sky and cast a clear blanket of warmth. The room itself was cold, bare with the empty space of a missing childhood.

Finn bundled himself with different assortments of blankets, burying himself underneath them as his soft snores echoed through the room.

His phone buzzed beside his head, having fallen asleep on the phone with one of his closest friends the night prior.

"Message from: Robin <3"

Finn turned slightly, his back now facing the illuminated device. The phone buzzed once more, longer than the last noise it had made.

"1 Missed Call from: V :)"

Finn shifted again, the excessive movements leading to his phone being knocked onto the ground below. It hit the floor with a soft thud, which went unnoticed by the sleeping boy.
-

Finn woke up an hour later, eyes heavy and lips swollen with a fresh cut as he shuffled underneath his bundle of blankets. The sun was brighter now, the shadows from before still dancing along his walls softly.

Finn yawned, stretching with a tired whine before stepping away from his bed. His foot pressed against his phone, the coldness of it waking him up just a bit more.

With bruised hands, Finn picked the device up. His eyes squinted as the screen turned on, illuminating both his face and the wall behind him. Finn was quick to dial down the brightness.

His eyes scanned across the missed notifications he had gotten while asleep, a confused expression pulling at his face as he studied the words on his screen.

"Text Message From: Robin <3"
"1 Missed Call From: V :)"

Robin's message was clicked on first, the small words of it making a smile tug at Finn's lips.