BRANCE + RINNEY

burning firewood and cereal, weirdly works

"But I don't wanna cry
I don't wanna cry anymore
I wanna feel alive
I don't even wanna die anymore"

part two...
-

Finn turned in his bed, covers pulled to his chin in hopes that his shaking body would dwell in the warmth of them and quit its trembling. He sniffled once, letting it go into the cold air of the darkened room.

Then, as if they'd heard his shakes and sniffles, a figure appeared in his doorway.

"Finn? You alright?" They sounded tired, concerned. Finn blamed himself for that. "I'm fine." The person in the doorway moved towards the bed, blonde hair reflected in the shine of the moon as he sat near Finn's covered feet. "You don't have to lie about not being okay Finn. Not anymore." Finn didn't respond, eyes drifting towards the window as if the night sky would calm him more than the other boy.

He'd been put on watch, meaning that everyday his three friends would have a pattern of sleeping over. His dad wasn't around much, though that isn't much of a difference from before. Tonight was Vance's turn, tomorrow would be Robin.

"I know." Finn curled into himself, arms shielding the hollowness of his stomach as he sniffled and adjusted the covers. "Scoot over." The tone was stern, but soft enough to know that Vance wasn't trying to be aggressive. "What?" Finn peeked an eye over the covers, hiding a smile when Vance pressed him farther into the wall.

The mattress wasn't a twin size, though it was still quite small for two people.

Vance hesitantly put his arms around Finn, pulling him close enough to where the boy could faintly hear the beat of his heart.

"Sleep Finn." Vance's words were murmured into the air, brushing against the dark blonde hair atop Finn's head as the boy began to shut his eyes. "Will you be here when I wake up?" Finn could feel the boy nod, chest moving ever so slightly as his head adjusted onto a pillow.

"Yeah."
-

The morning sunlight grazed over the bedroom walls, fogged up from the mist circling the town. Finn, still asleep, had his head rested on Vance's chest. His hair was curled around his face, lightly resting atop his eyes as he snored softly.

Vance, who had woken up before sunrise, took a picture of the sleeping boy. He'd put it in his collection of memorable moments, save it for when someone is feeling down.

"Did you just take a picture of me?" Finn rubbed his tongue along the roof of his mouth, sniffling as his head nuzzled into Vance's chest. "Maybe. Want me to delete it?" Vance ran a hand through the boy's hair, adjusting it to where it was no longer covering his eyes. Finn sniffled and shook his head. "No. Keep it."

-

The furnace had been lit, wood creaking as it burned and flickered with orange flames. Finn sat in front of it, cross legged with his hands in his lap as he smiled. Vance was in the kitchen, presumably making bowls of cereal.

"Finn. Come on." The sound of glass being set down echoed into the living room, bouncing off the wood of the furnace into Finn's ears. "Coming!"

Finn had gotten the smaller bowl, his choice. The metal of his spoon clinked as he stirred around his cereal, drowning it in milk as he stared at it with a small frown. In a way, it reminded him of-