BRANCE + RINNEY

falling, never leave you behind

His hands shook as he prayed, knees knelt into the dirt of the Earth as he bowed his head politely. His heart rang in his ears, blocking out his other senses as the tingling in his skin wore cold and went numb.

"Don't take him from me." The stars danced slowly, circling around the boy in small spouts of fire as he sobbed into his clothes. Rain poured down on him, mixing into the water already on his face. He bowed his head lower, his forehead touching the ground as his pain fell into the dead flowerbeds.

"Please, he's all I have." Thunder crackled, a large popping noise that startled the boy. He stood, brushing himself of dirt and grime as he frowned. His clothes, dirty and torn in several places, and his face, red and drenched in tears, glimmered in the storm.

Adjusting himself, the boy started his journey back home. His shoes stuck to the concrete sidewalks, mud trailing behind him with each stride. His hair flopped down into his eyes, sticking to his eyelashes despite his incessant swatting.

His father would surely kill him for staying out too long. It was way past eight by now, the moon shining in his eyes only proving it. His heart hammered in his chest, his veins throbbing as tears welled up in his eyes once more.

He wanted his best friend back. Why couldn't he have this one thing?

It'd been only two days since Robin had been declared missing. He'd been ripped away like a leaf from a tree, drifting off and gone without a care. Finney was left tending to the hole that appeared in the boy's place.

"Finney. I'm right here." The voice dipped into one ear and out of the other. Finney shook his head, quickening his steps. Ignore it. It's not real.

"Finney. You were supposed to save me." The voice wavered, sadness lingering out of it and onto the ground Finney walked on. "Save me."

Finney wiped at his eyes, chest heaving as he knelt onto the sidewalk. He couldn't see through his tears, the burning in his legs making it hard to walk.

"How bad do you want to see your friend, my precious boy?" This voice was new, gravely with a childish undertone. Finney looked up, met with a mask and dark eyes. "Really, really fucking badly. Is he okay?"

Finney turned around, not expecting the man to know. He shouldn't have asked, said anything in the first place.

"I know where he is." The man smiled behind his mask, fingers twitching and reaching out towards the pale boy in front of him. "Can you, could you take me to him? Please."

Finney was desperate, his mind fogged and emotions launched deep into his stomach as he spoke. The man nodded his head, poking at the hem of Finney's shirt.

"Sure. Such a nice boy, you are. So polite." Finney sniffled, breath hitching when a hand latched onto his fiercely.

Her hands shook as she prayed, knees knelt into the dirt of the Earth as she bowed her head politely. Her heart rang in her ears, blocking out her other senses as the tingling in her skin wore cold and went numb.

"Don't take him from me."

Finney tried to fill the hole Robin had left him with.

Gwen grieves now, trying to fill the hole Finney had left her with.