A Spirit Between Us (bxb)

Chapter 27 - A flicker of hope.

Lyla and Archie exchanged a brief look, the tension between them as sharp as glass. Archie's gaze flicked toward the hallway, a silent command. Lyla hesitated for a moment, worry pooling in her eyes, but she nodded in understanding and turned to leave.

The sound of her retreating footsteps echoed faintly as both Archie and Finn, well, the asshole wearing Finn's face, watched her disappear down the corridor. Archie stayed silent until Lyla rounded the corner, leaving him alone with whatever stood before him.

"Finn..." Archie's voice cracked slightly, betraying the storm of emotions roiling inside him. He felt like crying.

The thing tilted its head, Finn's familiar features twisting into a mockery of his usual expression. "Hey, Arch. How's it going? Long time no see, right?"

The tone was so casual, so eerily normal, that it sent a shiver racing down Archie's spine.

"Stop it." His voice was firmer now, sharp with barely restrained anger. "Stop using his voice."

It chuckled softly, a hollow sound that felt like nails scraping across Archie's nerves. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Archie's jaw tightened, his fists clenching at his sides. That smile, Finn's smile, had been twisted into something far too perfect. It didn't have Finns goofy edge or crookedness. It made Archie's skin crawl. It wasn't just the expression; it was the way it lingered, unflinching, like a mask worn too long.

Archie's green eyes locked onto the creature's, searching for any flicker of the boy he cared so deeply for, but all he found was a void. It enjoyed this, taunting him, breaking him down piece by piece, and it wanted him to know it.

"You might be an exact copy of him," Archie began, his voice low but steady, "but I'll always be able to tell the difference."

Finn tilted his head with an amused smirk, the motion unsettlingly slow. "Right, right. You can see it," he said, his tone mockingly light. "I remember."

"It's not just that," Archie shot back, his green eyes narrowing. "Even if I couldn't see it, I'd still know."

The words hung in the air like a challenge, and for a split second, Archie caught it. A faint flicker in the black smoke curling around Finn's form, a crack in its facade.

"Finn..." Archie's voice softened, the anger giving way to raw vulnerability. He glanced over his shoulder, scanning the empty hallway to make sure no one was eavesdropping. Then he leaned in slightly, his voice barely above a whisper. "If you're still in there somewhere... I love you too. I'm sorry I didn't say it when I had the chance."

For a moment, everything stilled.

Archie's breath caught as Finn's face shifted. The smirk faltered, replaced by something softer, something real. His dark eyes shimmered with an emotion Archie hadn't seen in what felt like forever. sSadness, recognition, regret. The smoky aura around him flickered erratically, like a flame struggling against the wind.

"It's okay..." the voice came, quiet and trembling.

Archie's heart ached at the sound, and his chest tightened. For the first time in weeks, he couldn't tell if it was Finn speaking or the mimic playing another cruel trick. But the vulnerability in those two words. It felt right. It felt like him.

"Finn?" Archie whispered, his voice breaking in a mixture of relief and desperation.

But the moment was shattered as quickly as it came. The smoke surged, tightening around Finn like an ominous, protective cloak. His features smoothed back into that unnervingly perfect mask, the sadness replaced with something cold and unfeeling.