A Spirit Between Us (bxb)

Bonus - The Ghost Of Christmas Future.

Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoy! ⭐️💖

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

And Finn was bored out of his mind.

It had been just over a year since the mimic was sealed away, and last Christmas had been a quiet, healing event for everyone. The most exciting thing that happened was Archie accidentally drinking eggnog and discovering he hated it with the passion of a thousand suns.

Finn had come so far. He was doing better. No, great. Well, mostly. Sure, he still had the occasional mimic infested nightmare and required sleeping meds that were so strong they could probably knock out a bear, but overall, life was good. He knew who he was, he embraced it, and he didn't care what anyone thought anymore.

The lively house, filled with bright laughter and nonsensical chatter just hours ago had calmed, now it felt numbingly quiet as the excitement of Christmas Eve dwindled. The board games had been put away after each were played twice, the last of the cookies had already been eaten, and even the festive tunes that had been playing on repeat were switched off, leaving only the faint hum of the heater in the background.

Finn sprawled on the couch in his living room, his head hanging off the edge as he stared at the upside down twinkle of the blinding Christmas tree lights. His parents were in the kitchen, cleaning up the remnants of their holiday dinner, occasionally laughing at some inside joke he couldn't be bothered to listen to.

Finn groaned, his head turning to the side as his phone buzzed relentlessly on the table beside him. The soft glow of the screen lit up the dim room, the notifications stacking one after the other. Reaching for it, he squinted against the brightness, his half asleep brain registering the groupchat's flurry of messages.

Lyla (6:24 PM): Snow fight anyone?

Jake (6:24 PM): Seriously?

Archie (6:25 PM): Sure.

Jake (6:25 PM): Aren't we too old for this?

Archie (6:25 PM): You're just scared Finn's gonna
destroy you.

Jake (6:26 PM): You wanna go, ghost boy?

Finn snorted, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips as he reread Archie's response. The hilarity of Jake taking the bait so easily woke him up.

He typed back, his fingers moving sluggishly across the screen.

Finn (6:26 PM): I'm in. Where?

Lyla (6:27 PM): Park. 10 minutes. Be ready to lose.

Finn set the phone down, glancing out the window where the streetlights illuminated the gentle snowfall. The quiet streets shimmered under a fresh blanket of white, untouched and pristine. His pulse quickened at the thought of being out there with them, with his friends, laughing and forgetting everything else for a little while.

Dragging himself off the couch and to the entrance, he grabbed his coat from the hook by the door, pulling it on as his mom peeked out from the kitchen.

"Going somewhere?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Snow fight." he mumbled, tugging on his boots.

She chuckled. "Well, don't come crying to me when you're freezing and covered in bruises."

Finn rolled his eyes playfully. "Thanks for the confidence boost, Mom."

⭐️⭐️⭐️

When Finn arrived at the park, the air was alive with the sound of crunching snow and muffled laughter. The wide open space was blanketed in snow, glistening under the soft light. The golden glow stretched long, dreamy shadows across the ground, casting a magical, enchanting mood over the entire park.