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Chapter Text

April 2nd 2007

Griffin Stagg's abduction

Griffin Stagg was a quiet kid. He had dirty Blonde hair and blue eyes, and he was around 5'1 which was actually kind of short for his age. 14 years old.

On April 2nd, he was wheeling his bike down the street, away from his house. Billy Showalter, his bestfriend, was hoing to teach him how to ride said bike. Billy was nice to Griffin, just like a lot of people, but Billy actually noticed him.

Griffin was so lost in this thoughts that he didn't notice the black van slowly driving behind him until the person inside the vehicle yelled for him.

"Hey kid!" The guy yelled and that pulled Griffin out of his thoughts.

"Yes?" Griffin said quietly, but loud enough for the guy to hear.

"I live in this house here and i have some groceries in the back of this car, could you help me take them to my front door?" The guy asked.

Griffin was tempted to say no, that he had places to be, but he was sure Billy wouldn't mind if he was a minute or two late.

Just a minute or two...yeah.

"Sure." Griffin nodded and the man shot him a funny grin. He should've just turned around right then.

The rest of it was a blur. He remembers the guy spraying something in his mouth and then throwing him into the back of the van. Then there was some loud clanks and something small got thrown in after him.

Now, Griffin was sat in the cold corner of a basement with blood on his body. He used the bandana that was tied around his wrist to stop the bleeding on his knee from when the man that had taken him kicked him over.

Griffin had been in this fucking basement for too long. He lost track of the days. He barely slept. He was too scared to sleep, he didn't want the man to do anything as he rested.

The dirty blond boy was just about to doze off in the corner of the room on the hard concrete floor when he heard the clank of the lock on the large metal door being undone.

His fists clenched against his sides as he saw the man walk in, but someone was with him, in his arms.

A kid.

A boy..?

The man dumped him on the dirty mattress, took a moment to look at Griffin, and then left the room.

After he left, Griffin shakily stood up from the corner and slowly shuffled closer to the mattress to get a betyer look at who it was.

Griffin stiffened, waves of shock pulsing through his body.

"Billy?" He choked out.

Chapter Text

May 4th 2009

Billy Showalter's abduction

Billy Showalter was a well known kid, the Paperboy. He was around 5'3 and had sandy blond hair and Brown eyes, he was 14 years old.

He was simply trying to do his paper rounds on the morning of May 4th at around 5:43am.

He had his dog, Harper, by his side as he rode down the street, tossing the paper's into people's lawns. He waved and smiled at the 90-ish year old man that always woke up early to say goodmorning to Billy and Harper.

He rode further down the street until he slowed down so he could pass a van parked on the side of the road.

Billy remembers trying to yell and cry out for help as a man got out of the van  and put him in a headlock, spraying something disgusting into his mouth.

He passed out after that, he barely remembered being thrown into the back of the van.

Billy woke up to quiet sobs. His head hurt and his vision was blurry. He let out a small groan as he slowly sat up.

"Billy?" A small, familiar voice whispered.

It took Billy a moment or two to process it before his head whipped around to the noise and he gasped.

"Griff?" He said, tears welling up in his eyes as they stung.

He heard the sobs quiet down as a pair of arms wrapped around him.

"Where are we?" Billy asked softly, carding his hands through Griffin's hair softly. Untangling all the knots in his curly hair.

"A basement." Griffin mumbled and Billy couldn't find the energg inside himself to be scared. Even if he was terrified deep down.

The two fell asleep whilst hugging. All Billy could think about before he gave into his tiredness was what might happen to them.

Chapter Text

June 11th 2009

Vance Hopper's abduction

Vance Hopper wasn't always a violent kid. He used to be such a sweet boy. His mama would sing him to sleep with her fragile, angelic voice, she would teach him how to respect others.

"You are to never hit a woman unless absolutely necessary. You are never to disrespect your elders or me. You understand that, don't you sweetheart?" Veronica Hopper said to 9 year old Vance after he git into a fight with a girl and yelled at his teacher.

"Yes mama." Vance nodded, wiping his eyes.

Vance always listened to his ma, no matter how much he didn't want to. Like when his step-dad came home with her one day and told Vance to respect him like a father.

13 year old Vance complied for awhile until the man laid his hands on his mother, that was when he became angry and violent.

He was never at fault for his actions, all of his anger and hatred was his step-dad's fault.

So when he fought a kid at the grab n go, his first instinct was to tell the police the address of the house a few doors down from him where this old-ish man lived.

"Get on out kid." The police officer said in a gruff voice and Vance mumbled a 'thanks' before getting out of the car.

He walked up to the door and rung the bell. He heard a dog barking and then someone unvlocked the screen door and then the actual door.

"Hey kid, can i help you?" The man asked and Vance nodded.

"I asked the police to drop me off here so i wouldn't get in trouble with my mom." Vance mumbled and the man nodded.

"You can come in and wait till they're gone." The man said and Vance smiled slightly at him before stepping inside.

The house was nice and clean, and the man's dog intrigued Vance a lot.

"Hey, you wouldn't mind going to the freezer in the basement and grabbing some meat for my dog, would you?" The man asked and Vance shook his head.

"Where's the basement?" Vance asked and the man lead him down some stairs.

Vance didn't pay attention to his surroundings until he felt a sharp pain in his back and he was knocked over, a loud clank following behind him.

He felt blood trickle down his back as he got light headed and passed out.

He woke up with a groan, sitting up despite the burning pain in his back.

"Holy shit." Was the first thing Vance said when he saw the two most recently missing boys.

Billy and Griffin.

"Welcom to the basement." Billy said with a weary smile.

"You've gotta be shitting me." Vance spat, not at the boys but mostly just in general.

"Afraid not, Hopper." Griffin grumbled. "I've been stuck here for two months and I'm yet to find a way out."

Vance hummed. He noticed how Griffin huddled himself into a corner on the cold concrete floor whilst Billy was sat about a foot away from him.

"He's gonna feed us soon, he won't starve you." Griffin said after awhile, Vance nodded.

"We've figured out some of his rules." Billy added, this made Vance sit up a little straighter.

"Don't try fighting him, it's no use." Griffin listed off. Once he was finished, Vance nodded again.

They were quiet for the rest of the day. Vance had learnt that the two boys had their designated spots in the large, cold room, so Vance desided he would take place in the corner across from Griffin.

Nothing could've prepared him for how scared he was for ghe first time in awhile that night, or for how gross and dirty he felt in the morning.

He realised how call Griffin seemed and it just upset him more. The kid had clearly dealt with this before.

The next night, he slept next to Griffin and Billy. Billy helped untangle his hair, informing him that it would get matted if he didnt brush his fingers tnrough it.

Vance was grateful for these kids, even in the circumstances they gound themselves in.

Chapter Text

August 16th 2009

Bruce Yamada's abduction

Bruce was always a good kid, he always did as he was told and he never disrespected anyone no matter how they acted towards him.

He had a few friends, at 15 you would expect him to have more than a few but they were good to him.

He had Vance Hopper, Griffin Stagg and Finney Blake. These boys new (almost) everything about him, and he knew everything about them. Vance didn't know the other two but that was okay. He was really close to all the boys, so when Griffin and Vance went missing, it tore him apart.

He heard about Griffin's friend going missing too, Billy Showalter?

All Bruce knew was that he was the town's local paper boy and he got kidnapped on his bike during his rounds.

He really should've been more careful on his bike after Billy's abduction was announced.

"Your arm is mint, Finn." Bruce grinned at the shorted boy, patting his shoulder before retreating to his respective changing room.

He got dressed and quickly jogged over to where his bike was locked on the gate and unlocked it.

He smiled and waved at a few girls that giggled when he rode past. His ride was nice and calm until he turned the corner and was met with a sketchy black van driving towards him.

The van came to a stop abruptly and a man jumped out, grabbing Bruce into a headlock and spraying something into his mouth before throwing him into the back of the vehicle.

After that, his vision went black.

Bruce woke up with blurry vision. He felt a firm yet familiar hand carding through his hair and he shifted slightly to look up, and was met with an all too familiar curly haired blond boy.

"Vance?" He mumbled and the boy nodded with a weary smile.

"Took you long enough to wake up." Vance said, gently nudging Bruce.

He didn't pay attention to his surroundings. He didn't bother thinking about where he was. Bruce was just glad that he was back with his best friend.

"Hey Brucey." Griffin giggled. God how Bruce had missed his voice.

"Griff." Bruce smiled before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter Text

September 21st 2009

Robin Arellano's abduction

Robin was naturally a protective kid. He loved his mama and his uncle to the moon and back and always vowed to protect them with every bone in his body. So when he met Finney Blake, he knew that he wanted to take it upon himself to keep the shorter boy safe.

All of Finney's friends had gone missing. Some freak who was newly nicknamed 'the grabber' had kidnapped them and it tore the brunette boy apart.

Robin comforted him as much as possible, the boy's life was hard. His mother died and he was constantly being bullied.

Robin was supposed to have been tutored by Finney, but unluckily for him, someone just had to get in the way.

"I'll see you after school, mi estrella." Robin said, hugging Finney briefly before leaving school.

On his way home, he headed to the store to grab some snacks for him and Finney to eat whilst they studied.

Robin was walking through an abandoned, empty parking lot to get to the store when he saw an out of place van in the corner of the lot. 

A man stepped out of the car, looking about as out of place as his van did.

Robin tried to ignore it and walk past the van but was quickly stopped by the man grabbing him.

He tried to fight back, punching, kicking, biting, anything he could do. Of course, it was no use.

Robin passed out before he even made it into the van.

Robin shot up, gasping for air as he frantically looked around the room, panting heavily.

"Calm the fuck down, Arellano." Someone said.

Robin immediately looked at the boy, and before he could ask the question on his mind, the kid answered for him.

"Im Billy Showalter, the Paperboy." Billy said, glancing at Vance who was say with Bruce who was improvisingly brushing his hair with his hands.

"Im Bruce Yamada, this is obviously Vance Hopper." Bruce answered for the two.

"And im Griffin Stagg." The shortest boy said with a forced smile.

"You don't have to pretend to smile, Griff, nobody should be happy in these conditions." Bruce said softly and Griffin nodded.

"Well shit." Robin mumbled, scrambling off the noticably dirty mattress.

"Yeah, shit." Vance answered back.

Robin was convinced he was going to die.

Chapter Text

17th November 2009

Finney Blake's abduction

Finney was a sad kid. His dad beat the shit out of him daily, so did kids from school. His mom killed herself and his lucky ass was the one who found her.

His life was shit, and he hated every part of it.

Except his friends.

They were his only hope to get through this life. Until they were taken. Every single fucking one of them.

Finney cried himself to sleep every night. He felt so, so alone. His life was shit, and to be honest, he wanted to die.

He had nobody left except his sister and even she had people who would love her.

Finney didn't.

He had nobody.

So when he was taking a walk in the dark, he half expected to get home safe.

And to his absolute enjoyment. He didn't.

Finneh had his hood up and his hands in his pockets, walking down the dark street.

Suddenly, a van turned the corner and parked in the sidewalk a few strides in front of him. A man got out.

The guy stumbled and his hat fell off, maybe he was drunk?

"Damn it, can you grab me my hat?" The man slurred slightly. Finney smiled and nodded, kneeling down to grab the hat when he felt a sharo pain in his side, making him cry out in pain and topple over.

The man pulled out a dagger and just as Finney was about to scream, he held it to his throat.

"If you make a single noise i will gut you like a pig and use your intestines to strangle you." The man growled, tears trickled down Finney's cheeks.

"Night night, Finney Blake." The man grinned.

Finney's vision went black.

Finney was being shaken awake. He shot up and choked out a sob as he glanced around quickly.

"Holy fuck, man." A known blond said, holding Finney's shoulders tightly.

"Where am I?" Finney said quietly, looking up at the boy in front of him. Vance Hopper.

"Grabber's basement." Someone answered, Finney turned around and nearly started sobbing violently.

"Robin." He whispered and the boy nodded.

Finney glanced around again and saw all of the missing boys.

He stayed quiet for awhile, Vance had eventually moved away from him when he calmed down and stopped crying.

Chapter Text

The Grabber's basement

All of the boys were tired. Nobody had slept, they were simply too scared. Finney had been there for two nights now, and he felt vile.

"It's okay, kid." Vance mumbled. The Grabber had previously dragged Finney upstairs despite all the shouts from the give boys and the kicking and hitting from Finney.

Finne was surprised at how kind Vance actually was. Then again, in their conditions, none of them had time to start arguments with eachother.

They had all grown to somehow tolerate and care for eachother. Wether they were completely oblivious to the person the were comforting or not, it's the best they could do at the moment.

"Im not saying you should let it happen, but I am saying that you shouldn't try fight back." Griffin said softly. "It'll just end up worse on your part."

Finney nodded, wiping his eyes. He didn't feel like telling the boys he spent the majority of his time upstairs kicking and screaming, and hitting the man. Until he tied his arms behind his back.

"We're gonna get out, i promise." Vance said. To Finney, Vance's promise meant a lot. Even if, at the time, it didn't seem like a promise he could keep.

The following days, the boys left Finney to do as he wanted, trying to figure out ways to escape.

He got the bars off the window, he dug a hole in the small, cramped hallway that lead to the bathroom, and Vance ended up helping Finney dig through the wall to a freezer.

None of Finney's attempts if escaping worked, so that's when he was visibly getting agitated.

"Leave it, none of us can fit through the window anyway." Finney mumbled to Billy who was trying the reach the window with a glass bottle in his hands to smash it open.

Billy complied, pushing himself off the wall and landing down with a thud.

"I don't wanna die here." Griffin mumbled to Vance and Finney.

The three had gotten close withing their time in the basement, all of them having gone through the same thing with the Grabber multiple times.

"You aren't gonna die." Vance said in a calm voice.

Finney hummed in approval and Griffin smiled a little. That smile quickly faded when they heard the clank of the metal lock on the door.

Vance stood up, in front of Griffin and Finney whilst Billy and Beuce shuffled closer to the two. Griffin grasped Billy's hand tightly and Finney held Bruce's arm.

"Why are you all hiding? I only want to see how you are." The man grinned and all of them shuddered slightly.

After none of them spoke, the Grabber gave up and left. The loud bang of the lock clicking back into place echoed tjrough the room as everyone moved back to their respective spots in the chilly room.

Griffin and Billy sat by the broken phone. Robin and Finney leaned against the frame that bolted the mattress to the floor and Vance and Bruce leaned against the wall next to the door.

Everyone noticably jumped when they heard a noise. A ringing. From the phone.

"What the fuck." Finney said, staring at the phone just like everyone else was.

"Im not fucking touching that." Griffin said, scrambling away from the phone with Billy.

Everyone sat in silence as the ringing went on until one of them stood up.

Bruce.

He slowly walked up to the phone and pulled it off the hook, holding it to his ear.

"Hello..?" He whispered. No response.

He put the phone back and started shuffling away slowly. Then it rang again.

"No, no, no." Beuce said, rushing to sit next to Vance.

"I'll try." Finney said, wandering over to the phone and pulling it off the hook, holding it to his ear just as Bruce did.

"Hello?" He said, jumping slightly when he heard a noise.

"Hello." Someone said. A woman. The voice was familiar but he couldn't place his finger on who it was.

"Who...who is this?" Finney said hesitantly.

"Im Alice." The woman said and Finney immediately put the phone back. "This is fucked, that is fucked up." He spat, staring oddly at the phone.

"Who is it? How are they calling if the phone is broke?!" Billy and Robin asked at the same time.

"They aren't alive." Finney sputtered.

There was a thick silence in the room. Everyone starred at Finney like he was going crazy. Maybe he was. He had been in the basement for fuck knows how long.

Maybe he was actually losing it.

"I think im going crazy." Finney said. He spoke what was on his mind. "I genuinely think i'm going fucking mad."

"There is no way-" Vance started but he was cut off be the ringing.

"Im not touching it." Finney said immediately, so Vance stood up and pulled the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" He said in a gruff voice.

"I'm sorry i scared Finney." The soft voice said. Definitely a woman.

"How do you know his name?" Vance asked firmly.

"I'm his mother, silly." The woman laughed softly, Vance looked up at Finney who looked just as confused as he did.

"How are you speaking to us, the line is broken." Vance asked in an accusing tone.

"Well, he already said im not alive." The woman said and Vance's eyes widened.

The woman continued to speak.

"Im not sure how i can speak to you, but be grateful i can." She said and Vance nodded, the line went flat.

"So..." Vance trailed off as he put the phone back on the hook. "Maybe we won't die after all?" He said, he wasn't even sure if the woman could help, but it was worth asking the next time she rang.

"I thought i was crazy." Finney sighed with relief.

"You and me both." Vance replied.

Chapter Text

The Grabber's basement

All of the boys had finally managed to sleep. They were huddled up in their respective spots with their person.

Billy and Griffin

Vance and Bruce

Robin and Finney

It was like clockwork, in a way. As soon as all six boys were in the room, they had eased their way into finding buddies they all stuck with.

It wasn't a verbal agreement, but it didn't really need to be. They all just kind of knew.

Everyone was sleeping peacefully until the agitating ringing of the phone slowly woke them up, one by one.

Finney woke up first. He rubbed his eyes and let out a grunt if annoyance.

"Stop." He murmured. He was shocked when a voice answered back.

"Stop what?" It was the Grabbed. Of-fucking-course.

Finney inhaled sharply, squeezing Robin's hand tightly and thankfully he woke up. Then Griffin woke up a moment later, who woke up Billy, who woke up Bruce, who woke up Vance.

Now they were all awake. Finney noticed the ringing of the phone had stopped when they all got a grip on reality.

"Look what you've done, Blake. You woke everyone up." The Grabber tutted, standing up from his place on the floor. "That's not very good behaviour, now is it?"

Finney didn't answer. He didn't deserve to hear Finney's voice. He just got a small grumble in response.

"You never try and escape anymore, and i'm getting bored." The Grabber said. "But, i can't have it getting too crowded down here."

"What are you implying." Robin muttered lowly.

"I need to get rid of a few of you soon." He grinned at Robin who shot him a disgusted look. "Count your days." He said in a grossly cheery voice.

When they all heard the clank of the lock being latched on, the phone rang again. Finney was quick to stand up and answer it.

"Hello." He said. His voice didn't make his words seem hesitant anymore. Now that he knew what to expect.

"You are special, all of you." Alice said. "He can't hear the phone."

"Mhm." Finney nodded.

"You're doing amazing at digging the hole, tell the boy in the green shirt to finish it off. When it gets up to his hips, that is when he stops digging. Make sure you put the bars from the window at and angle and cover the home with a carpet from the bathroom." She said. Finney listened intently and when the line went dead, he hooked the phone ul and turned to Bruce.

"She's giving us advice now. We should probably listen." Finney said and they all hummed with approval in unison.

"What does she want us to do." Billy asked, discreetly holding Griffin's hand.

"She wants Bruce to dig the whole in the small hallway until it gets to his hips, then he had to grab the bars from the window and place them at and angle in the hole then cover it with a carpet from the bathroom." Finney listed off from the top of his memory.

Beuce complied immediately, walking over to the home and immediately getting to work.

The rest of the boys waited for either another call or for the clank of the lick to ring throughout the room so they could get Bruce back into place.

Bruce dug the hole relatively fast, his hands were scabbed up and dirty but it took him just less than an hour. They were saving time.

He covered the hole and took his place back next to Vance.

Maybe they will get out.

"Have you all forgotten what he said earlier." Griffin mumbled quietly. It was all silence till he decided to speak up.

"What?" Finney asked, lifting his head from Robin's shoulder.

"He's getting rid of us." Billy answered. It was the first time they'd heard him speach in such a monotone voice.

"Probably me." Griffin said, Vance's head snapped toward the younger boy so fast you could nearly hear his neck crack. "It's true. Ive been here for ages." He shrugged.

Everyone went silent, surprisingly, even Robin. Obviously until someone-no, something, broke the silence.

Chapter Text

The Grabber's basement

It was the phone that interrupted their silence, the constant ringing pulled the boys into reality and Griffin stood up to answer it. Grabbing the phone and holding it to his ear just like everyone else who answered the calls did.

"Hi." Griffin mumbled numbly into the phone.

"Hello, sweetheart." A feminine voice called out softly, it made Griffin smile a little. "Would you be a doll and tell your friend in the gray coat that there is a wire by the wall where the hole is. He needs to pick it from the cracks." She said, Griffin nodded as if she could see him.

"You're doing amazing, all of you." The woman said. She reminded Griffin a lot of his mama. "You don't have much time." She said in a whisper before there was a click and the line went dead.

"Bills, she want you to pick a wire from the crack in the wall next to the hole." Griffin said and Billy nodded.

"I still can't believe you guys are casually calling my dead mom." Finney said, making Bruce laugh a little.

"How did she die?" Griffin asked quietly, Finney noticeably stiffened. "Im sorry-"

"It's fine." Finney cut him off with a small, weary smile. "She uhm...she killed herself. In the bathroom." He mumbled, the room went silent once again.

"Your dad found her, i'm guessing?" Bruce asked and Finney shook his head.

"No, i found her." He shrugged slightly and Bruce let out a soft 'oh'. "What's done is done though." Finney said with a small smile.

"Got it!" Billy called out, this made Robin and Vance sit up a little straighter.

"We're getting closer, huh?" Vance said and they all hummed with small nods.

Billy sat next to Griffin, and opened his mouth to speak when the all too fucking familiar clank of the lock echoed through the room.

The door opened slowly. All of them tensed, expecting to see the grabber. But they didn't.

Who the fuck was at the door?!

Chapter Text

The Grabber's basement

All the boys stood up, backing themselves into a corner. They were too tired for the Grabbed's bullshit today...except it wasnt the Grabber stood by the thick metal door.

It was an unfamiliar face. A different man.

"Holy shit." The man breathed out, gaping at the six boys huddled in the corner of the large, cold basement. "You're the missing kids."

"Please help us." Griffin said quickly, the man started to stutter.

"Hey, do you kids wanna know how i found you?" The man grinned, pushing the door open wider.

"No, no, no, no." Finney said repeatedly.

whack

The man's body hit the floor, a bloody axe sticking out the side of his head. There was the Grabber. They shouldn't have actually expected to get out this easily.

"Look what you did, you made me kill my brother." The Grabber's dreadful voice echoed throughout the room.

The boys were trapped, they had no plan and no ideas. Until Vance and Robin stepped forward.

"The phone." Was all Robin whispered to Finney before he and Vance approached the Grabber, their fists clenched.

With one harsh tug, Finney ragged the phone wire out the wall and wrapped it around his wrist whilst holding the phone behind his back.

Bruce and Billy ran forward, purposely shoving the Grabber as they pushed past him. Billy grabbed the axe from the dead man's head, dry heaving slightly as he followed Bruce.

The jumped over the hole, Bruce grabbed the wire from the crack and gave it a hard tug. Thanfully, the Grabber flew around the corner and tripped. Bruce grimaced at the sound of his ankle breaking.

The man wailed out in pain, reaching for Bruce's wrist.

Vance came up behind him, kicking him in the back of the head before climbing over the hole to punch him in the face.

Grifgin and Robin were already halfway upstairs, trying to remember the code to Griffin's bike lock.

Finney watched as Vance punched the Grabber before coming up behind him and wrapping the phone chord around his neck.

He held him there for a moment before bringing his arms up, just to harshly pull them down. The snap of the man's neck was enough to make the rest of the boys scatter the basement.

"Billy!" Robin called out and Billy jogged up the stairs, silently handing Robin the axe.

He swung it at the door, creating a large crack before Vance did the rest of the work, kicking the door in.

They were finally free.

Chapter Text

North Denver

It had been a good while since all the boys had left the basement. Each of them ended up together within a month of escaping and were all very happy. That was nearly a year ago now

Well, most of them were.

Finney and Griffin would stay up late on the phone. Usually just chatting and helping eachother with homework. Yet one night, Griffin changed up their conversation a litte.

"You okay Griff? you're being a little quiet today." Finney asked, scribbling song lyrics onto a piece of paper, scribbling and re-writing words in different places. Finney had started to wnjoy the hobby of writing songs, even if he never thought about singing them.

"You can see it too...right?" Griffin said, his voice barely a whisper. "They're getting tried." He added.

Finney paused, setting his pen down. Now that someone else had mentioned it, the thoughts felt more real. "I can see it, yeah." He nodded, speaking quietly.

It seemed like the two were on the same page. Without actually saying their names, they knew what eachother were thinking. Robin and Billy were tired. Maybe not necessarily of them, they just seemed more dry and quiet lately.

Then Finney got a message. He felt his phone vibrate in his hand and he heard Griffin's vibrate through the phone. 

"You got a text too?" Finney asked, Griffin mumbled a response. They both audibly inhaled sharply.

Finney opened his message, from Robin.

chérie

8:47pm

chérie: hey finn, im really sorry to have to say this over text but i want to break up. it's nothing you did, dont worry. i just can't stand being here anymore so im moving to LA with Vance, Bruce and Billy.     i love you so much.

(this number has blocked you)

"What the fuck?!" Griffin was the first to speak, he anger clear in his voice.

"Are they fucking serious?" Finney spat. He must have yelled or something because Gwen walked into his room.

"Finn, be quiet." She hushed him, but immediately backed off when she saw tears prick at her big brother's eyes.

"I'll talk to you later, Griff." Finney mumbled, ending the call before putting his phone on his desk and standing up abruptly, making Gwen jump.

She instinctively wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly as he tried to fight off the tears and sobs.

Finney's phone buzzed again, Gwen peaked over his shoulder.

"It's Vance." She said, loosening her grip on Finney. He shuffled away from the hug and grabbed his phone, opening the message.

Vancey

8:53pm

vancey: hey finn.

i honestly understand that im the last person you wanna talk to but i feel like you should hear this information from me or my mom, and i'd rather it be me.

this might come as a shock to you, but im your brother...haha

its a long story, so you should probably come over to my place soon so i can explain everything and say bye before we leave.

Finney noticed Gwen had left the room. He knew his father wouldn't let him leave so he pulled on his shoes and a black hoodie before opening his window.

He shoved his phone into his pocket after telling Gwen he was going out for awhile and that he would be safe. He threw his legs over the window sill and pushed himself off the wall the grab onto a tree branch and jump down.

He reached Vance's house about 5 minutes later, hesitating before knocking on the door. Veronica, Vance's mother, answered. His stepfather must not be home.

She ushered him in with a smile and lead him to the kitchen where Vance was sat.

"Let's just get straight to the point, okay?" Vance said calmly. Finney nodded.

Vance explained everything thoroughly. Veronica had hooked up with Terrance two times, a year apart. She was French so obviously Vance was half French, and so was Finney. This is how Finney learnt he and Gwen were half siblings and he and Vance were biological brothers.

"-and i want you to know before i leave that i'll always look out for you." Vance said, Finney was on the verge of tears.

"You're an asshole." He choked out, the other boy nodded.

"I know i am." Vance mumbled.

Before he knew it, Finney was out of his chair and shoving Vance.

"I hate you!" He yelled repeatedly, until the words came out as sobs and his shoves became weaker. He leaned his head on Vance's shoulder, letting the older boy hug him as he cried.

Finney went home that night with tear stained cheeks. He hated everyone at the moment.

He snuck back into his room and kicked off his shoes, throwing his clothes on the floor as he got changed, sniffling quietly.

Gwen walked into his room. Somehow, she could always tell when Finney was upset even without seeing him in person.

Finney explained everything to her and she was surprisingly calm. She had a soft smile and gave him small nods of encouragement when he stopped speaking for a moment or two.

Finney facetimed Griffin, after having messaged him saying he had an idea. Before Griffin could get a simple 'hi' out, Finney spoke.

"I wanna make a band." Finney said. "With you." He added quickly.

"Wow...uhm, that's a big decision." Griffin said, attempting to reason with him.

"You know i like writing songs, i know you can too, you're good with words." Finney started. He then went on a 2 hour rant about how his plan would work, how they could set it out, and he even got Gwen to agree to help.

"I'll do whatever you need, i can play the guitar or whatever, but there's a catch." Gwen said, Finney and Griffin waited impatiently.

"You have to let me ask Donna if she wants to do it too." She shrugged.

"Done." Finney and Griffin said in unison.

"Really? Just like that?" Gwen asked, almost shocked at their instant behaviour.

"A band with my sister, her girlfriend and my best friend? Definitely." Finney said with a grin.

"How-" Gwen started but was cut off.

"I have eyes, Gwenny." Finney said simply. "You look at Donna how i looked at Robin." He shrugged.

"Looked?" She asked quietly.

"Looked." He nodded back. Geen had a sad smile on her face as she hugged Finney before leaving his room.

Chapter Text

North Denver

The next weekend, Finney, Gwen and Donna were in Griffin's living room. They had decided everyone's roles in the band quite easily.

"Right, so, Finney and Griffin are our singers." Donna asked as she went through a small list, pausing to wait for confirmation.

"Yeah." The two said in unison with a nod and she nodded back.

"Gwen is the guitarist and im the pianist." She said and gave herself a small nod.

"Show Donna the song lyrics you've been making for-like-ever!" Griffin grinned.

Finneg laughed, reaching into his bag and pulling out a folder full of papers. Donna was flicking through it, mesmerised by his work.

"I can work with this." She smiled.

Donna then explained how her parents already agreed to help manage their band. To keep them on track, get songs and maybe even albums out on time. And if they succeeded, they could try and do a concert in a few years time.

North Denver

2 years later

How everyone in their band had managed to keep their identities a secret for so long was a mystery to all four of them. They had played at festivals with masks but a lot of the time, they nearly dropped them.

Finney and Griffin were anxiously packing to go to the airport. This was it. They were moving to LA for a bigger career. They alreay had a new manager since Donna's parents had set them up with the man.

Once Finney finished packing, he decided that he wanted to pay Veronica one last visit. Throughout the years, he had gone to her house every wednesday and today was now different. He knocked on her front door and smiled when she answered.

They talked for a long time. About Finney and Gwen leaving for LA. He had promised his ma that he would be careful and very safe. He was actually really glad she didn't bring up the fact that Vance and the others had gone to LA 3 years prior. Leaving Griffin and Finney alone after everything.

In the matter of hours, they had successfully made it to LA and got a cab to a three bedroom apartment Finney had fully bought out barely a week ago. Their band did much better than they anticipated and all four of them were glad.

Once at the apartment, Donna and Gwen went to the bigger room. Everyone decided it was only fair since they were two people whereas Griff and Finn were one.

The unpacking, buying furniture and building it all process took very long but everyone got it done and they were proud of their work.

Donna and Gwen's room was very modern and casual, then Griffin's room was nature themed and Finney's was discreetly space themed.

"Finney." Gwen whined from the living room, dragging on the 'y' in his name.

"What do you need." Finney groaned, trudging into the living room with a tired look.

"Can you go to the 711 down the street and grab me and Donna some vod?" She asked sweetly and he let out a sigh.

"You need to be 21 to but that shit here, but i guess i'll figure it out." He mumbled, grabbing his wallet and pulling on his shoes.

"Thanks Finn." She smiled and he gave her a nod.

"Need anything Griffy?!"He called out, grabbing his keys when he heard a 'no thanks' come from Griffin's room.

Finney walked down the street to the store. It was surprisingly calm apposed to Denver where there were drug dealers and alchies here, there and everywhere.

He walked into the store and grabbed the bottle of vodka he knew Gwen and Donna liked. He grabbed his fake id from his wallet and walked up to the counter, setting it down and looking up.

Finney bit back a gasp, as did the person across from him. There was absolutely no damn way he had run into Billy Showalter. Finney was surprised the other had evern recognised him, but here he was, stood infront of someone who definitely recognised him.

"You need to be 21 to buy this." Billy choked out and Finney glared at him.

"Don't piss me off, Showalter." Finney rolled his eyes, handing him his card. Billy nodded and swiped his card before handing it and the bottle back.

Finney was grabbing the bottle when his phone started ringing, he answered and held it to his ear.

"Gwen, i'm literally on my way back-" Finney started, then his face dropped. "I'll be a minute i promise." He said, ending the call and shoving his phone into his pocket.

"Not a word to Vance about this." He warned Billy before grabbing his card and rushing out the store.

Gwen was in hysterics because Terrance had called her, asking why her location said she was in LA. He then apparently went on to say that if she didn't come home right at that moment he would call the police on Finney for kidnapping.

"Don't worry, i'll sort it out." Finney assured her, stroking her hair gently. He knew Gwen didn't want to go home, she was 17 after all so what was the point?

After awhile, the sun started to set and everyone was settled in their rooms so Finney decided to go for a walk. He had his headphones on and he turned the music up as he walked down the street.

Chapter Text

Los Angeles

Finney really didn't expect to get into a fight so early on his his trip. It hadn't even been a day yet.

He was walking down the street when he saw a car with its windows rolled down driving next to a woman. He decided to speed up his walk a bit so he could figure out what was going on.

"Are you alright?" Finney asked when he was walking next to the girl. He earned a small shake of her head and nodded slightly.

"She's fine." A guy inside the car said.

"I wasn't asking you." Finney retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Watch your mouth, kid." The man said in a warning tone that made Finney laugh outloud. "I'll beat the shit out of you." The man added.

"I'm sure you will." Finney laughed, then he turned to the girl. "Do you want me to walk you home?" He asked and she shook her head with a soft smile.

"Thank you." She mumbled before turning around and walking away whilst the man was glaring at Finney.

"Come on then, if you wanna threaten to beat the shit out of a child get the fuck out your car." Finney said with a grin.

The man turned off his car and got out, walking around and grabbing Finney by his shirt and shoving him up against the car door. Finney grabbed hold of the man's hair and kicked him away, hitting his head in a wall a few steps away from them.

He gave the man one last sharp boot to the stomach before leaning down to talk to him.

"Maybe next time you shouldn't go round following ladies and threatening kids." He grinned before standing up and turning around to go home.

To his absolute surprise, there were another two men stood now in front of Finney. He noticed they were all wearing a shirt with the same logo.

"Come on." Finney grumbled under his breathe. "Is this a fucking meet 'n' greet? What the shit do you want." He rolled his eyes.

One of the men went to grab Finney's arm so he took this as his que to leave. He shoved the man who was to his left out of his way and floored it down the street. He ended up at the apartment in less time than usual.

Finney walked inside and kicked off his shoes, immediately going to Griffin's room.

"You're never gonna fucking guess who I  saw at the 711 earlier." He said, dropping himself onto Griffin's bed.

"Who?" Griffin asked instantly, sitting up with an intrigued expression.

"Billy fucking Showalter, that's who." He said and Griffin gaped at him.

"Seriously?" He asked hesitantly. "Like... Billy?My Billy?" Finney nodded. "So Vance, Bruce and Arellano must be here too." He trailed off.

"Most likely." He shrugged. Finney didn't question the fact that Griffin called Robin 'Arellano'. "Oh, do you need me to get your ADHD pills from the pharmacy tomorrow? I need to grab my shitty bipolar pills anyway." Griffin nodded, tanking him before shooeing Finney out his room.

Finney slept differently that night. It wasn't because so much had gone on within a single day of living in LA. It was more so eventually seeing Vance or Robin. He occasionally heard from Vance, mostly words he told Veronica to tell Finn when he visited, but also sometime texts or even calls if Finney was lucky.

Nobody but Griffin, Donna and Gwen knew that Finney was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder about a year into their music career. Maybe he brought it up to Veronica once or twice but he couldn't really remember.

These thought could be stored away for another night, Finney had decided. He was absolutely exhausted from the plane ride and the house decorating and all that shit.

He eventually dozed off into a dreamless slumber, he fell asleep thinking about his brother and slept thinking about nothing.

Chapter Text

Los Angeles

Finney woke up later than usual. Not too late, but later than he allowed himself. He trudged out his bedroom with a towel and change of clothes, into the bathroom.

He showered with ice cold water, trying to pick up the pace so he could pick up Griffin and his medication from the pharmacy. He got out, dried his hair and got dressed. He wore a white shirt, grey jacket and dark grey jeans Donna's dad had gotten him for his birthday last year.

"Getting my meds, anyone need anything from the store?" Finney called out as he pulled on his shoes and connected his headphones to his phone.

"No thanks!" Donna and Griffin called out in unison from the living room. Finney hummed and turned on his music, grabbing his keys and leaving the house.

He was listening to some random songs Donna had recommended to try and inspire his song writing. My Chemical Romance was her go to suggestion and he took it and ran with it. A lot of his songs before didn't have a lot of meaning but as he started listening to different music genres, he started thinking about writing songs that actually meant something.

Occasionally he wrote the sappy love song about Robin, then the depressing ones about his trauma and the rest were about his friends, his brother and his mom

(Alice, Gwen's mom. Not Veronica).

Finney turned off his music when he reached the pharmacy, hanging his headphones around his neck and stepping inside. He stupidly ignored his surroundings and walked over to the front desk.

"How can I help you, sweetheart?" A nice woman asked, flashing Finney a smile that he reciprocated.

"I need to sign myself up for monthly bipolar disorder medication." He mumbled and she nodded, typing into his computer.

He gave her his contact information when she asked and pocketed the bottle of pills she gave him quickly, handing her his card to pay.

"Sorry, could i also sign my friend up for ADHD medication?" He asked and she nodded. He gave her Griffin's info and paid for his stuff before leaving. The walk home was calm and quiet, the soft noise of music playing in his headphones.

He left Griffin's medication on the dining table when he got home, going up to his room and placing his own on his desk. He stared at the bottle intensely.

Finney hated taking the pills with a passion. They made him feel so emotionless and dead. Like a ghost. That's probably what he would've been if he didn't leave that fuck ass basement.

After a long time of staring at the bottle, someone walked into his room.

"Finn, i've been calling your phone for an hour." It was Gwen. Finney snapped out of his haze and turned to look at her.

"Sorry...uhm, what's wrong?" He asked, smiling softly at her.

"Vance called asking for you. He said he talked to your guy's mom and she mentioned your meds so i think he wanted to talk about that." She smiled. Finney nodded, swallowing thickly. Now he remembered that he actually never mentioned his medication to Vance.

Finney grabbed his phone and saw a couple missed calls from Vance. He took a deep breathe and called him back, putting the phone to his ear as he moved to sit on his bed.

"Finn?" A voice said when the call was answered.

"Hey, V." Finney said awkwardly. "Gwen said you called."

"Yeah, why have i only just found out you got diagnosed with bipolar disorder? And why the fuck did i find out from our mom?" Vance said, his tone firm yet soft.

"It must've slipped from my mind." Finney said quietly.

"You don't just forget those things, Finn." Vance answered. He was right. He was always right, to be fair. Finney didn't forget, he just didn't want Vance to see him differently.

"I know, im sorry V." Finney muttered, then he went quiet and listened to Vance talk on and on about something. Thankfully, someone, probably Donna, knocked on his bedroom door.

"Listen, V, i've gotta go." Finney said, hanging up the phone and discarding it on his bed as he went to open his bedroom door.

"Our manager got us an opening gig at a concert!" Donna squealed. Finney smiled widely about her. "We're on for an hour and a half before the next band comes on." She informs him.

"When is this?" He asked and she looked down, pulling the face she usually did when she knew Finney wouldn't like what she was about to say.

"It may or may not be in 2 days." She smiled hesitantly and Finney groaned in response.

"I guess me and Griff have some songs to pick." He shrugged, heading to Griffin's room.

"Griffy." Finney called out as he opened the door. 

"Donna already told me, i'm working on it soon." Griffin said, shooeing Finney out his room.

Finney sat at his desk with a sheet of paper, his phone next to him open on the notes app. He was going through the songs he wanted to pick for himself. He knew that Griffin loved the first song Finney ever sung to him in person, YKWIM?. So that was his first song on the list.

His next few were hard, he knew he was gonna do Birds Don't Sing because that was a fan favourite, as well as pretty boy. He decided that he would go through the rest with Griffin when he wrote his songs down

Finney was gradually getting more bored by the minute, so he decided to unpack all his clothes and pick an outfit to go to the bar in. 

He was in serious need of some action, okay? Especially after seeing Robin.

He pulled on some low hanging black jeans and a rhinestone belt with a cropped mesh top. Sunglasses with rhinestones were also set on top of his fluffy brown hair.

"I'm going out." Finney said to Gwen who was laid on the couch watching tv.

"Okay, be home by tomorrow because we have to practice before the show." She said, not bothering to spare Finney a glance bit he saw the small smile on her lips.

Finney drove Griffin's car to a bar that was beaming with lights and music. He pulled into a space and made sure his keys, phone and wallet were in his pocket before getting out and walking inside.

He sat himself on a stool in front of the bar and scrolled on his phone till a bartender walked in front of him.

"Hey pretty, what do you wanna drink?" The man asked, Finney replied with 'a rum and coke'. "Coming right up." He nodded, Finney nodded back.

The guy was definitely a few years okder than Finney, twenty-two...maybe even twenty-three. He had dirty blond hair and bright blue eyes with a chisled jawline. He would do for tonight, Finney had decided.

The guy walked back up to him and set his drink down, his gaze lingering on Finney's lips before he spoke.

"What's a pretty person like you doing here all alone?" The man asked and Finney sheugged vaguely.

"Just need some action i guess." Finney answered honestly. "I was gonna get fucked up here and get my sister to pick me up." He added.

"How about i take you back to my place after i finish my shift?" The guy smirked and Finney nodded.

"Sounds like a plan. What's your name, handsome?" Finney asked.

"Brenden, see you soon pretty baby." Brenden winked and strolled away from Finney. That was a small ick, but whatever.

Within an hour, the guy's shift had finished and Finney was in his apartment, being shoved onto his bed.

The guy was good, Finney had to give him that. He was rough but gentle and that was nice. When Finney woke up, he got dressed and called Gwen to come pick him up.

"Finney, you took Griffin's car." Gwen deadpanned and Finney mumbled 'ohhh'. "Call Vance or something." She said before ending the call.

He hesitated before pressing the call button, Vance answered on the third ring.

"You good, Finn?" Vance asked, sounding calm but kind of worn out.

"Can you come pick me up from this guy's house?" Finney asked, Vance groaned.

"I'm kinda busy Finn, but i can call you a cab." He offered and Finney groaned in return.

"Fine, i'll send my location." He mumbled. "Thank you." He added before ending the call.

Not too long later, he got into the cab so he could go home. He walked inside and told Donna that she needed to get Griffin's car, which she apparently already was on her way to do.

"Here's the keys, thanks Don." He smiled and she just nodded, rolling her eyes jokingly.

"Griffin already chose your last few songs, so don't worry about that." She said before leaving the house.

The closer they got to the date, the more anxious Finney felt. Sure, they had played at festivals but a concert was totally different.

Next Day, Backstage

Finney was stressing out. He was pacing around in his changing room, his breathing was ragged and his hands were tugging at his hair painfully. Thankfully, Griffin walked into his chnaging room.

"Finney, you need to get changed." He said in a calm tone. He could tell Finney was stressing out like crazy.

"Okay...okay." Finney said, taking a few deep breathes before grabbing his clothes.

"I'll be back in 5, just drink some water and try calm down." Griffin said, patting his shoulder gently and giving him a small smile.

Finney unfolded his clothes and looked at what he had to work with. He had dark grey jorts and a blue baseball shirt that looked odly similar to the one he wore when he was younger. He also had a variety of rings and a pair of blue shoes.

He quickly got dressed and waited for Griffin to come back so he could help with his hair.

In the meantime, he was consoling himself. Assuring himself that it would be like it was at the festivals, minimal people, calm surroundings.

"Finn?" It was Gwen. Thank god. "Griff is helping Donna, he wanted me to make sure you were okay." She spoke softly. Soft like an angel. Gwen was so much like her mother. Alice was like Finney's mother too, except she wasn't. But that was okay.

She always treated Finney like a son. And after she died, Finney swore to protect Gwen from their father's wrath no matter what.

"I know it's a stupid thing to say before going on stage, but dad called." She mumbled, running her hand's through Finney's hair.

"What did he say?" Finney asked as he grabbed a mascara bottle and started putting it on.

"On about calling the police, so i guess we should be prepared for that." She mumbled, fixing Finney's hair.

"Mm." He muttered.

He inhaled sharply when Donna called out for them, saying they had two minutes before she dragged them out.

Chapter Text

Onstage

Finney could tell Griffin was a bit anxious, and he didn't blame him. After taking one look at the massive crowd who were cheering for them, Griffin immediately stiffened.

He walked to his own mic and smiled wearily.

"Hello LA!" He called out and people cheered his name, chanting it like it was their last words. This made him relax a little.

"Ignore the fact we're a little anxious, a lot of people here, huh?" He laughed quietly. "Anyway, the rest of these losers should be on stage any minute."

As he said that, Donna walked onto stage with Gwen, holding their hands in the air. Griffin turned to look at them, his expression screaming 'where is Finney?!'

Gwen held up one finger, he nodded and turned back around. Gwen and Donna got into their places and soon Finney walked on, waving at everyone as he headed up to his mic.

"Took you long enough." Griffin joked. 

"Yeah yeah, hush your mouth Griffy." Finney winked jokingly at him, Griffin rolled his eyes.

"Alrighty, Finney, introduce your first song so we can get on with this." Griffin said, turning to Finney who started thinking.

"Which shall we start with...Pretty boy, maybe liquid smooth?" He asked and almost everyone in the crowd screamed 'pretty boy!'

"Dang, okay." He laughed, standing a little straighter. "By the way, this is a song my lovely sister wrote about me, thanks Gwenny." Finney said, turning around to wave at Gwen who waved back with a roll of her eyes.

Donna and Gwen started playing their music, Finney waited for a moment before starting.

If it were up to me

I’d turn you into a stone

And turn the lights down low for effect

And I’d steal your cigarettes and I'd be

Softer than I am through cigarette smoke

And if anybody asks, I'll say I

Did it as a joke, so

But how about his loneliness

He gets it from his mom

100 dollars for his haircut

But a smile from God

And when he touches you you’ll wonder how

He keeps his hands so soft

He got some money from his grandma

Guess he’ll never have a job

Finney scanned through the crowd, his eyes landing on someone in the second row as he sung. They had curly blond hair and vibrant blue eyes, also fairly tall.

Hold on.

Vance?!

What was he doing here?

Finney side eyed Griffin who hadn't seemed to notice Vance yet. Finney didn't look at him again.

Oh pretty boy (pretty boy)

Don’t speak (don't speak)

You pretty boys (pretty boys)

Are only good for one thing (for one thing)

Finney looked back at Griffin, who was looking at him with knitted eyebrows. Maybe he had noticed now. Finney tilted his head slight at Griffin who just shrugged.

He, once again, didn't look back at the blond.

But anyways

That isn’t even what I meant to say

I meant to sing a song to

You to make you fall asleep

And I wouldn’t have to talk to you

And you wouldn’t talk to me

But I could lay on top of you

And soak in all your heat

Don’t let them catch you crying, boy

If it didn’t really hurt

She took a drink to jog her

Memory but it didn’t really work

She meant to sing a song

But couldn’t memorize the words

She only knew the chorus she had

To mumble through the verse

Oh pretty boy (pretty boy)

Don’t think (don't think)

You pretty boys (pretty boys)

Are only good for one thing (for one thing)

Once the song was finished, Finney turned around to look at Gwen and Donna who had no idea what was going on. Maybe it was just a coincidence

"Right!" Griffin started. "Do you wanna go for round two or should i take over, Finney?" He asked and Finney stuttered slightly.

"Uhm-You can go if you'd like." He offered with a smile. Griffin nodded.

"Let's start of strong with Fight or Flight." Griffin suggested and everyone cheered.

Chapter Text

Onstage

Something's gotten into you

You don't really look at me the way you used to

And I'm hoping it ain't true

Every single rumor that I've heard of you say

Say you were off with someone that I don't know

Callin' other people on your telephone

Kinda wish I didn't know

There was a lot of emotion in this song, it was really obvious. The first few times they had practiced this song before publishing it, Finney could've sworn he saw Griffin's eyes become glossy.

Well, fight or flight, I'd rather die

Than have to cry in front of you

Fight or flight, I'd rather lie

Than tell you I'm in love with you

Griffin sounded more angry than sad when he sung this song now. It was obvious who the song was about. So when Griffin saw said person in the crowd, staring at him, it only fueled his anger and hurt.

My eyes are welling up as you admit there's someone new

It's my move, fight or flight

You tell me it ain't what it seems

But baby, this is looking like a crime scene

There's clothes thrown on the balcony

And you smell like perfume out a magazine

I'm throwing all your shit out of my window

Telling you I wish that we had never spoke

Baby, I already know

Finney jumped a little as Griffin raised his voice, but he couldn't place why he seemed so much angrier.

He scanned the crowd and immediately picked up on it. Next to Vance was Bruce, that was kinda obvious, but next to Bruce was Billg fucking Showalter.

He had some nerve showing up.

Well, fight or flight, I'd rather die

Than have to cry in front of you

Fight or flight, I'd rather lie

Than tell you I'm in love with you

My eyes are welling up as you admit there's someone new

It's my move, fight or flight

Now there's someone at my door

Someone I've not met before

They've got eyes like mine

A pretty smile and they've been crying for a while

'Cause they also didn't know

That our lover loved us both

Well, fight or flight, I'd rather die

Than have to cry in front of you

Fight or flight, I'd rather lie

Than tell you I'm in love with you

My eyes are welling up as you admit there's someone new

It's my move, fight or flight

Griffin moved away from his mic, grabbing his water bottle from the floor.

Chapter Text

Onstage

"Loved that one, Griff." Finney said into his mic, smiling over at Griffin. "Since we're on the subject of people, i have a song that expresses my feelings for a certain someone." He smiled and people cheered.

"I'm feeling like...looking out for you." Finney nodded and everyone cheered again. It was obvious people liked this song.

I guess I should stop looking out for you, like I always do

When will you start looking out for me, too

Instead of leaving me staring at my shoes?

It's just the way you're glancing at me

Something about you just makes me feel guilty for liking you

When you're with him, when you're with him

As Finney sung, his eyes landed on the last person he wanted to see. Ever.

Robin Arellano.

This really pissed him off.

This is a love song for a girl who will never know it's about her

I know it's pretty stupid, but I'm much too shy to tell her

She's beaming that smile, all the while

I'm all choked up on my own throat, I guess there is no hope

And we're walking out in the snow

I say, "I guess I should go"

And we're talking 'bout someone else

When we should be talking about ourselves

It's the same old situation, you've always got me waiting

Finney looked away from him. His mindset at the moment was persuading gimself that he was seeing things.

Maybe he saw someone who just so happened to look exactly like his ex boyfriend who ditched him with his brother and ran off to LA.

Definitely.

Totaly.

Surely...

Yeah, no. he wasn't fooling himself or anyone else.

Come on, dear, I think time's a-wastin'

Before we have to go back inside

And return to our normal lives

This is a love song for a girl who will never know it's about her

I know it's pretty stupid, but I'm much too shy to tell her

She's beaming that smile, all the while

I'm all choked up on my own throat, I guess there is no hope

Finney did the same as Griffin, moving away from his mic to take a drink. He waved Griffin over and whispered something into his ear.

Griffin looked into the crowd and gave someone, probably Robin and/or Billy, a dirty look.

"Right, back to you Griff." Finney smiled and Griffin smiled back before going over to his mic again.

Chapter Text

Onstage

After all their songs had been performed, Griffin started speaking before they left.

"Thank you everyone for listening, maybe we'll see you next time!" He called out before they walked off the stage

Backstage

"What the fuck were they doing there?!" Finney said as soon as he and Griffin were in his changing room.

"Maybe it was a coincidence?" Griffin pointed out, but even he didn't believe it.

"Fucking creeps." Finney spat, starting to get changed as Griffin left.

He, Griffin, Gwen and Donna ventured back to the apartment and Finney got a text from an unfamiliar number.

*********
5:42pm

***: u wrote songs about me?

Finney: who is this??

***: i think u know

Finney: stop being freaky and js tell me

***: robin

Finney: why are you texting me

you broke up with me and fucking left Denver

DRAGGING MY BIG BROTHER WITH YOU MAY I ADD!!!

AND YOU THINK IM JS GONNA BE LIKE

'oh hey robin long time no see!!'

what the fuck do you want.

***: i js wanted to know if you were up to hang out and talk a little

Finney: ill think abt it.

Finney pressed the call icon on Vance's number, waiting for him to pick up.

"Hey Finn." Vance said in a calm tone. "You did good today." 

"Fuck that, did you give Robin my number?" Finney asked firmly.

"He told me he wanted to talk it out with you." Vance said hesitantly.

"You didn't think to ask me?!" Finney snapped, raising his voice. "He broke ip with me and left for fucking LA, dragging you and Billy with him!" Finney yelled into the phone. "That's not fair! He took my big brither away for three years, he took Griffin's boyfriend away for three years, he can't just come back into my life and act like it's okay!" Finney finished before abruptly ending the call.

He threw his phone onto his bed, moving to his desk and staring at the various bottles of medicine, such as paracetamol and his bipolar disorder medication.

He thought about it for a good moment. Who would actually care if he took more than what he needed.

Scratch that.

He hated how the normal amount of his meds made him feel, taking more would make him feel dead, literally.

Finney wanted to cry. He felt his eyes water as he tried to blink away the tears. It didn't work. Soon he was sat on the floor, back against the wall as he sobbed into his arm.

The tears kept on coming as Finney reached up onto his desk and grabbed the bottle of medication, throwing it across the room and knocking something over.

He curled in on himself, sobs racking through his body as he choked on his tears. When he sat up and tried taking a few deep breathes, he looked at himself in the tall mirror across from himself.

His cheeks were damp, his eyes were glossy and his hair was tussled from pulling and tugging on it. His nose is a little pink and tears are still rolling down his cheeks.

Finney wipes his eyes with his sleeve and shakily stands up, taking a deep breathe as he pushed himself away from the wall to sit on his bed.

He was a fucking mess. After everything, after all his stupid therapy sessions and his medication and all that shit, he was still a fucking mess.

A sad, angry, crying mess. All the time.

Chapter Text

The Apartment

Griffin shoved Finney's door open. He had been trying to call him for an hour with no answer. Now he had his answer. Finney was laid on his bed with tear tracks staining his cheeks.

"Finn," Griffin whispered softly. Finney stirred for a moment before slowly rubbing his eyes.  "You okay?" Griffin asked gently, earning a small nod from Finney.

"Just don't know where everything went wrong in my life." Finney admitted. "It's a dumb thing to cry over." He added, sitting up in his bed and looking blankly at Griffin.

"Everything probably went wrong when we got kidnapped, or maybe when Robin left with Vance, Bruce and Billy." Griffin pointed out and Finney let out a small laugh, despite tears welling up in his eyes again. Griffin was caught off guard when he saw tears prickle at Finney's eyes. He wondered if he had said something wrong until Finney spoke.

"I miss them." He choked out, dropping back down into a laying position on his bed. He rolled over and curled into his bed sheets, letting out a strangled sob. "I miss my brother and my bestfriends and my boyfriend." He whispered.

"I know." Griffin whispered, tears welling up in his own eyes. "I don't think i've really seen you cry, you know?" He mumbled after awhile. "Not even inbthe basement, sure i saw the tears in your eyes but you never really cried i don't think."

"My dad basically forbid it in my house." Finney admitted with a laugh. That laugh made Griffin laugh and soon the were giggling whilst tears rolled down their cheeks.

"We probably look fucking crazy." Griffin choked out. 

"Fucking definitely." Finney breathed, their laughter dying down into a comfortable silence. They heard a few occasional sniffles and small sobs from each other, but they were content in just sitting there and silently comforting one another.

"I'm gonna call him." Griffin said finally, looking at Finney for confirmation.

"If that's what you think is a good choice." Finney smiled. "I'm probably gonna call Vance and Robin."

Griffin nodded, standing up and giving Finney a small hug before leaving the room. Finney grabbed his phone and scrolled tjrough his contacts until he landed on Vance's name.

Without even thinking, he clicked on his name and then clicked the call button, waiting anxiously as it rung. When Vance answered, Finney didn't even give him a chance to speak.

"I miss you so much, Vance." He sobbed, unable to hold his tears back. This obviously caught the other off guard because he just let out a small noise of confusion. 

"I'm sorry if i ever upset you for not calling or texting for like a fucking year after you left, i was just sad and i wanted my big brother back but i knew i couldn't have you then but i have you now and i need you." He went on, sobs racking through his body.

"I miss you so much, and i miss Bruce and Billy and i feel fucking stupid for saying it but i really miss Robin too." He whispered the last part.

"I get it if you don't wanna see me because it's been three years and even if we've talked, it's not the same as seeing eachother in person. But i need you, i need my big brotheer back and i love you so, so much." He said before abruptly ending the phone call.

The next phone call was probably the hardest for Finney, he was trying to think about what to say to Robin and how to say it. He was wvery stressed out, okay?

Soon, he just decided to get it over with and call him.

The phone rang and it went to voicemail, this was probably the better situation. Now, Finney wouldn't have to hear the rejection in time.

"Hey Robin, i don't know why i expected you to pick up the phon but it's just a heat of the moment kind of thing." Finney laughed at his own words.

"I just wanted to tell you that i miss you, and that no matter what happens after this voicemail i will always love you. I have always loved you, even after you left Denver." He said, taking a deep breathe.

"I hope you can understand why i was so mad, but i don't blame you for leaving or for my anger or for anything really. I know you aren't a bad person and you just wanted to get away and that's great for you." He mumbled.

"I'm gonna end this here, text or call me back if you hear this. I love you so much." Finney finished before ending the voice mail.

Chapter Text

The Apartment

Griffin's call to Billy

Griffin sat on his floor, his back against his bed as he stared at his phone that was laid next to him. Billy's contact was already pulled up. He was one click away from easily either fucking shit up or making shit better.

He decided to risk it, letting out a long sigh before grabbing his ohone and clicking the call button. He held the phone to his ear and awkwardly waited for him to answer.

"Griffin?" Billy's voice came through. Oh god did he miss his voice.

"Hey..uhm." Griffin mumbled. "I feel kinda dumb, but uh...I miss you." He breathed out quietly. "I've been thinking about you. I've been thinking about our love." He admitted in a whisper.

"I miss being around you, hearing your laugh and holding your hand." He mumbled, silently glad Billy hadn't interrupted him yet.

"I think of you everyday." Griffin said. Then there was a long moment of silence, maybe 40 seconds long, before Billy spoke up.

"I miss you too." He heard Billy whisper, his soft voice almost inaudible.

"Yeah?" Griffin whispered back, a small smile plastered on his face.

"Yeah...and if you're willing to, i'd like to see you." Billy said, Griffin could practically hear his smile through the screen. "I'd like to take you out, and love you forever to make for all the years i couldn't."

"I'd like that a lot." Griffin hummed. 

"I'll text you soon to sort out a day then?" Billy asked, Griffin nodded even if Billy couldn't see him.

"Yeah." Griffin said.

"See you soon, Griff." Billy finally said before the call ended.

That was easily almost the hardest thing Griffin has ever had to do in his life. But, he was glad the conversation went that way.

Chapter Text

MEETING UP!!!!!

Griffin was laid on his bed, watching a random series on Netflix when his phone buzzed. He lazily reached across his bed and grabbed his phone, smiling slightly when he saw who it was messaging him.

Billy & Griffin's chats

17:32

bill: Hey Griff, does tomorrow at around 2pm work for you? Don't worry about the place, send me your address and i'll come pick you up! :)

griff: hii! that's perfect

i'll see you then :)

Griffin smiled, placing his phone down and shifting out of his bed. He covered his mouth as he yawned, sleep slowly getting the better of him as he curled into his bed sheets and fell asleep.

He woke up at around 8am the next morning, groggily getting out of bed to shower. He dried his hair with the hair dryer and styled it a little bit to make it look more put together. He went on to brush his teeth and wash his face before going back into his bedroom to find something to wear.

"Gwen!!" Griffin yelled out, sitting on his bed as he heard light footsteps heading towards his room.

"What?" She groaned, staring at him from the doorway.

"I need you to help me pick out an outfit, i'm going out later." Griffin said in a pleading tone.

She thought for a minute before giving in, walking over to his wardrobe and pulling out various differnt things before she landed on something appropriate to wear.

Gwen laid out a simple outfit onto Griffin's bed.

"Thank you!" He grinned from ear to ear, hugging her briefly before letting her leave.

Griffin dropped onto his bed, after getting changed. He was half waiting for Billy to cancel on him, but he was also wondering how everything would go down.

Does Billy still love him like Griffin does? Even after he wrote multiple songs about the other? It was a hard thought process, that was for sure.

He was also wondering how everything was going for Finney, but that was a thought for after seeing Billy. He knew that Finney definitely got emotional and probably started to cry during the calls, but he would ask him about that later.

After an hour or two, he sent Billy his address an hour before the other was supposed to come pick him up. Yet, ten minutes after sending the message, he got a reply from him saying, 'I'm here, take your time :)'

Griffin sent a quick response back before pulling on his shoes and sorting out his hair. He grabbed his keys and made sure he had his phone before leaving the apartment and heading outside.

He walked up to the car Billy was leaning on, giving him a nervous smile when he stopped in frint if the other.

"Hey Griff." Billy said in a soft voice with a smile.

"Hi." Griffin said, letting out the breath he didn't realise he was holding in.

Billy opened the passenger door for Griffin, closing it behind him when the blond got in.

The drive was comfortably silent, Griffin stared out the window and watched as they drive through the busy streets.

"You aren't planning on killing me, are you?" Griffin joked, earnibg a small laugh from Billy.

"I could never kill somebody as gorgeous as you, Griffy." Billy winked, causing Griffin to avert his gaze out the window again with a flustered expression.

"You look nice." Griffin uttered, running a hand through his own hair as he actually took a moment to see what Billy was wearing.

"What was that, Griffy?" Billy teased, glancing at Griffin with a large grin.

"I did say you look nice, but i might just take it back." Griffin retorted jokingly, smiling slightly.

"You would never." Billy said with a chuckle. "Thank you, though. I think you look nice too." He added softly, causing Griffin to blush even more than he was.

"Thank you." Griffin breathed out. "Where are we going?" He asked finally.

"I'm taking you to a lake spot and we're having a picnic." Billy smiled, Griffin let out a small chuckle.

"This reminds me a lot of our first date." Griffin stated, raising an eyebrow at Billy who blushed a little bit.

"Maybe that was my aim." He shrugged.

The rest of the car ride was nice. It was quiet, but in a good way. Griffin was content in sitting in the car, leaning against the window as he listened to Billy's soft hums of a song he must've recently started listening to.

When Billy parked the car, he grabbed a basket from the backseat and walked over to Griffin's door to open it, holding out a hand for him to take.

Griffin took Billy's hand with a smile and they didn't pull away from eachother until the reached the spot by the lake. Billy gently squeezed Griffin's hand before pulling away and laying out a blanket and putting the basket on top.

He sat down and patted the ground next to him, motioning for Griffin to sit and so he did. They were quiet for awhile, watching the sun shine in the sky. Griffin inhaled sharply when he felt something touch his hand, he quickly relaxed when he realised it was just Billy.

Griffin took Billy's hand into his own. He was unable to suppress a smile when Billy gave his kuckles gentle kisses.

"You wanna eat?" Billy asked, to which Griffin nodded. Billy pulled the basket closer and handed Griffin a sandwich that he gratefully took.

"You remembered how i like it." Griffin muttered, glancing at Billy who looked at him with nothing but love in his eyes.

"I couldn't forget." Billy answered in a quiet voice.

They eased back into a comfortable silence. This reminded Griffin a lot of how things used to be. He and Billy used to sit, skin to skin, next to eachother watching the water at a lake close by to Griffin's house.

Things were different now. Maybe a good different. Griffin would figure that out later.

After about an hour of small talk, Griffin found himself leaning against Billy ask they spoke softly to eachother. He couldn't resist leaning his head against the other boy's shoulder and letting out a small sigh.

"You okay?" Billy asked, smiling softly as Griffin gave a small nod.

"Do you miss us?" Griffin asked quietly.

"All the time." Billy admitted with a small chuckle, Griffin laughed softly in return.

"I'm glad it's not just me then." Griffin exhaled, shifting his head to look up at Billy.

Griffin wasn't entirely sure how it happened, but soon, Billy's lips were on his. Griffin was taken aback but he didn't resist from the kiss, he basked in it.

They pulled away after a moment, both wearing big smiles.

"Come on, i'll take you home." Billy said after awhile. Griffin obliged, standing up and waiting for Billy to collect their things he insisted on carrying.

They walked over to the car and Griffin got in while Billy threw the things in the backseat. The drive was quiet once again. But it was the quiet that Griffin liked, so that was completely alright with him.

He felt like he had gone a few hours back in time, because it was just like the drive there. It was calm and sweet, and he smiled at Billy's soft hums from a random song he couldn't pin in his head.

Billy pulled onto the side of the road in front of Griffin's apartmenf and got out of the car to open the door for him.

Griffin gave Billy a small hug before starting to walk up the path to the door.

"Bye Griff, I love you!" Billy called out. Griffin paused, turning around and looking at Billy.

"I love you too." He answered with a smile. The words felt foreign in his mouth, but not uninviting. Billy beamed at him before getting into his car.

Griffin had decided that this meet up had taken a turn for the better. He thought about his day as he laid in bed, comfortable in his pyjamas whilst watching tv.

Chapter Text

The Apartment

Whilst Griffin's day was going relatively good, Finney's was not. He was stressing out, to say the least. He hadn't gotten a response from Robin. He was thinking about calling him back, but what if Robin saw it and didn't want to answer? What if he thought Finney was stupid and emotional and overly sensitive?

On top of all that, he was brainstorming ideas for songs. He knew Griffin was busy and he didn't want to call him and ask for help because that was stupid. Finney didn't need help, he just needed time.

Maybe he also needed an escape. The last time he did, he met Brenden. Was it worth texting him, asking if he wanted to hangout? No. Was he gonna do it anyway? Definitely.

So, Finney grabbed his phone and shot Brenden a quick text asking if he wanted to go to the bar for a few drinks. Finney knew he was being dumb. He was back in contact with his life long crush and temporary ex boyfriend, why was he going out for drinks with a guy he let fuck him? Finney didn't have an answer for that.

He wanted so badly for it to be Robin, but that wouldn't happen for awhile. He threw on some baggy, low-rise jeans and a tight fitting shirt. He pulled on his shoes, grabbed his keys and made sure Gwen and Donna knew he was leaving.

Brended said that they could meet up at the bar then after a couple hours they could go back to his apartment, Finney agreed almost immediately and that was that.

When Finney got there, he bit his tongue when he saw some other guys sat with Brended. Never the less, he walked over to them, said hello, and let Brenden pull him to sit down. He had to admit he could tell Brenden had already drank a bit. He could tell from the way his hand gripped Finney's wrist harshly and how tugged him to sit down roughly. Finney paid no mind to it though.

After a few hours and few drinks, Brenden decided to call he and Finney a cab back to his place. So, as Finney always did, he followed Brenden outside and into the car after couple minutes of waiting for the cab to pull onto the sidewalk.

The ride was quiet, Brenden had his hand planted firmly on Finney's thigh. When they pulled up to Brenden's apartment, he walked Finney inside and locked the front door and lead Finney to the living room.

Finney sat down, slouching, whilst Brenden lit a cigarette and sat next to him.

"Are you into like, burning?" Brenden slurred slightly, referring to his cigarette.

"Uh, i don't know if i wanna do that." Finney mumbled, but Brenden urged him on.

"Come on, baby, i bet you look so pretty when you're in pain." Brenden teased, shuffling closer to Finney.

This brought Finney back to a place he had escaped a long time ago. That fucking basement. He vaguely recalled the Grabber saying something along those lines to Finney.

It made him remember all the scars he still had from the beatings he and the other boys would endure, though most of his scars were from his father. He could never forget the pictures the doctors had shown him of the scars along his body.

The thick, ragged white lines that littered all over Finney's back. His legs, his ankles. The sore, harsh bruises that were plastered on Finney's pale skin. The bruises went as low as Finney's thighs and as high as his shoulders. 

Finney didn't respond to Brenden, almost frozen as the other grinned. He must've thought that was a yes from Finney, because he brought the lighter up to Finney's exposed skin and pressed down onto his arm roughly.

In all honesty, Finney couldn't recall the amount of tears he had shed that night as he gathered his clothes from the living room floor early in the morning. It hurt to move his arms too much, but he couldn't bring himself to even glance at all the possible scratches and burn marks that would be scattered across his arms and his thighs.

Finney shakily dialed Gwen's number, pleading that she would pick up. Thankfully, she never missed any of her brother's calls.

"Finn?" She mumbled, she must've just woken up.

"Can you come get me please." Finney said shakily, trying not to cry as he stood on the side walk.

"Send me your location." She answered almost immediately, Finney was glad she didn't question the sobs that ripped out of his throat after those few words he spoke.

"Griffin is on his way now." Gwen said after Finney had sent her his location.

"M'kay...see you soon." Finneh whispered.

Not long later, Griffin's car pulled up and Finney got in quickly. Neither of them spoke, but he could feel Griffin's eyes on his, staring at the possible injuries on his arms.

When they got to the house, Gwen wasted no time rushing Finney into the kitchen. She gently tugged his arms out to get a better look at the obvious marks on his body.

"I didn't even tell him not to." Finney said shakily, tears threatening to spill once again.

"Did you tell him he could?" Gwen asked in a soft voice, to which Finney shook his head. "Well then, it's not your fault." She assured him as she grabbed some burn cream from one of the drawers beside them.

"I just...froze. I didn't even fight back." Finney sobbed. Now, Donna and Griffin had entered. Donna stood by Gwen, helping her with Finney's arms while Griffin silently consoled him.

Finney couldn't help but let a small chuckle slip past his lips. Atleast now he had something to write a song about. It wasn't likely he would write a song about this exact experience, but it was an idea.

Once Gwen finished making sure the burns on Finney's arms were okay, he retreated to his bedroom after making sure Griffin knew he had to brainstorm some new songs.

He sat on his bed for about 10 minutes, contemplating calling Robin again before he got a call from Vance.

Finney wasted no time answering the call, holding it up to his ear as he listened to Vance start to speak.

"Hey Finn." He said and Finney couldn't help but smile softly.

"Hey V, what's wrong?" Finney answered quietly, his voice still hoarse from crying.

"I wanted to take you to a cafe to get something to drink with Bruce, is that okay?" He asked and Finney immediately agreed, it would be nice to hear from Bruce again.

After a little more small talk and sorting out a time, Vance said he would pick Finney up at 3pm. This gave Finney enough time to think of a song.

As he thought, he realised he had barely written any songs about his time in the basement, so he started thinking along those lines.

It didn't take long for him to get somewhat a start to his song, and it took even less time tim finish writing it. He grabbed his guitar from the corner of his room and spent a little bit figuring out how he wanted the background music to sound.

Finney played his guitar, softly humming the song until he figured out exactly how he wanted it to go.

"Finney, Vance is at the door!" Donna called out. Finney scrambled up from his bed, ifnoring the aching in his fingers as he put his guitar away and rushed downstairs. He had stupidly forgotten his jacket.

"See you later, love you!" Finney called out to nobody in particular, just anyone who heard him. He left the apartment and locked the door before turning to Vance who had a concerned look on his face.

"Your arms." He mumbled, starting to walk with Finney following close behind.

"I'll...I'll explain it soon." Finney said. He looked up towards Vance's car and his face lit up when he saw Bruce.

He ran up to him, jumping into his arms and pulling him into a tight hug which Bruce gratefully reciprocated. They talked for a moment before getting in the car.

The ride was filled with small talk between Vance and Bruce, Finney occasionally chipping in to voice his opinion in the conversation.

Once they pulled ul to the cafe, Vance ordered them drinks and then they sat down.

"So, your arms." Vance started, earning a jab in the side from Bruce.

"You don't have to tell us, Finn." Bruce said softly, earning a small smile from Finney.

"It's just something stupid, this guy thought i was into cigarette burns or whatever." Finney laughed softly, even though he was sobbing hysterically about the situation not even 5 hours ago.

"I was stressing out because i called Robin and he didn't pick up so i sent him a voice mail and he never answered." Finney answered.

"He was talking to me and Billy about that, he was so caught up in work that he never had the chance to think about how to answer." Bruce informed him, Finney hummed softly.

The rest of the hangout went by quickly, but it was nice. After the information Bruce gave Finney, he really had no reason to be stressing about that situation anymore.

Chapter Text

Somewhere in LA

Griffin and Finney were laid on the living room floor. Not for any particular reason to be fair, except Robin had texted Finney twenty minutes ago and he was yet to answer.

"I'm scared." Finney had said, staring at his phone.

"You're scared? I'm fucking scared bro." Griffin retorted, shifting his head to look at Finney who was now looking blankly up at the ceiling.

"You should invite Billy to our next song recording." Finney suggested randomly, earning a small hum from Griffin.

"Reckon he'll bring Robin?" Griffin asked in response.

"Hopefully, or hopefully not. I haven't decided yet." Finney shrugged slightly.

"Fair enough." Griffin finished and they went back into a comfortable silence.

"Would you mind if i invited him over? Maybe he could help with the message." Griffin muttered, breaking the silence. It was Finney's turn to hum in response.

"Do you think he would help?" Finney asked, Griffin scoffed slightly.

"Dude, you two were like really good friends back at home. Of clurse he would help." Finney nodded at this, Griffin grabbed his phone and sent a quick text to Billy who responded almost immediately saying he would be there soon.

They were laid on the floor still, silently staring at the ceiling. Griffin wordlessly stood up when there was a knock at the door, going to open it for Billy and then going back to sitting on the floor next to Finney.

"Billy, i'm having a midlife crisis." Finney grumbled.

"Hello to you too." Billy laughed slightly. "What happened?" He added.

"Robin messaged him but we are both to scared to look at the text." Griffin admitted.

"Unlock your phone, i'll look." Billy said.

Finney grabbed his phone and unlocked it, passibg it over to Billy who opened the massage and started reading it.

"He wants to meet up next Wednesday, he said that he wants to make things right." Billy said, passibg the phone back to Finney who thanked him.

"But we have to do the song recordings next Wednesday." Griffin pointed out.

"I'll invite him, i'll say that we can talk after." Finney shrugged, Billy and Griffin both nodded.

"Billy, you can come too." Griffin said, Billy grinned at him.

"Might as well let Vance and Bruce tag along." Billy suggested, the two nodded.

"I feel like this has been a very anti-climactic conversation." Finney said randomly.

"Probably." Griffin and Billy responded.

A whole week had passed and Finney and Griffin had Finally written their songs that had to be recorded the next day. To both of theirs suprise, Robin had actually agreed to come watch the song recording and speak with Finney after.

The next day rolled around and all four if them were stressing out. Gwen and Donna were frantically looking around for their instruments and Finney and Griffin were both stressing about what they should wear.

In the end, Donna and Gwen found their things and then helped Finney and Griffin find something to wear.

"Are we ready?" Donna asked after coming back to the apartment from putting the things in their car. Gwen was stood by the door, patiently waiting for her.

"Yeah!" Griffin called out, grabbing his note pad with his music written on it and walking to the front door. 

"Coming, hold on!" Finney yelled, fixing his hair and pocketing his phone before following shortly after Griffin.

Not long later, they were on the drive to the studio. Unfortunately, they were running a little late because someone (Griffin) kept misplacing their phone. Finney was driving as fast as possible, they were all very determined to make it their on time for once, also because they didn't want to arrive after everyone else.

"Finney, i swear to fucking god-" Gwen started, stressing about being late.

"Gwenny, i'm going as fast as i can!" Finney snapped, using the girl's nickname to imply he meant no harm in the harsh tone.

"Nearly there anyway." Donna pointed out softly, she'd always been the calmer one in their friendship.

"What if they think our skngs are dumb?" Griffin said, he was stressing himself out more and more with the thoughts in the back of his mind.

Finney flicked on the radio and turned it up, winding down the windows and turnkng around slightly as he drove. 

"Distract yourselves for the last five minutes or im going to go mad." Finney said, turning back around fully and continuing to drive.

So, Griffin started messaging Billy. Gwen was singing along to the music and Donna was looking out the window, humming softly to the song.

By the time they arrived at the studio, the others were already there, which was not a very great start.

Donna and Gwen got out first to grab a few things from the back of the car while Finney and Griffin mentally prepared themselves.

After a few moments, Griffin was out the car and was almost physically dragging Finney out too.

"Finney, get your fat ass out that car!" Gwen yelled, glaring at him.

"Changed my mind, i'm going home!" Finney retorted, only just starting to get anxious.

"Don't make me get Sam to drag your ass inside that building." Donna threatened, rolling her eyes.

"I hate you all." Finney muttered, sticking by Griffin's side until they got to the others who were leaned against their car, waiting for them.

"Come on, losers." Gwen said, beckoning them towards the entrance of the building.

They all walked inside, setting their things up in the recording room before getting a free ten minutes to talk as usual.

Finney, naturally, was avoiding all eye contact with Robin. Could you blame him? He hadn't genuinely spoken to him for what felt like a decade.

"Right, whose first." Sam said, interrupting everyone's conversations. His gaze flickered between Finney and Griffin. The two turned to eachother.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors?" Griffin asked, Finney nodded simply. After a couple moments, Finney cursed under his breath.

"Cheater." He muttered as he stood up from his spot on the floor and rummaged through his bag for his notepad.

"Pick up the pace, Finney." Sam sighed, Finney grumbled in response, grabbing a bottle of water and walking into the recording room.

"Whenever you're ready." Sam said through a mic. Finney nodded. The room was soundproof, so that was okay. Sam had headphones on so he could hear what Finney was singing, incase he needed to correct his tone.

Chapter Text

Somewhere in LA

Griffin stood up to lean agaisnt the wall. Everyone was talking quietly, scared to disturb Finney or Sam.

"Neither of them can hear you." Griffin said simply. "Finney's in a sound proof room, Sam is wearing sound cancelling headphones." He pointed out.

"Why is it taking him so long?" Vance asked, noticing how Finney was just stood still.

"He needs to prepare himself for a minute, then Sam will turn on the speakers so we can hear him too and make sure he's doing as practiced." Griffin shrugs.

"Everyone ready?" Sam called out, earning a few nods and 'yes'.

Sam reached over and turned on the speakers, everyone winced at the loud noise they let out before it stopped.

Finney took a deep breathe, glancing at his note pad before squeezing his eyes shut.

Chapter Text

Somewhere in LA

When Finney and Robin returned, Griffin was just about ready to go and do his song so he could get it over and done with.

"You good, Griff?" Finney asked, putting his hand on Griffin's shoulder to offer some sort of comfort.

"Yeah, is it okay if i do the one i rehearsed to you the other day?" Griffin asked. The song he was referring to was about Finney, and he found it amazing, Griffin was fantastic at portraying his emotions into songs.

"Of course." Finney smiled assuringly, giving Griffin a brief hug and then a gentle push to go into the recording room.

"He wrote a song for you?" Billy asked with a small smile, admiring Griffin.

"A lot of his songs are about people." Finney answered with a smile. Billy hummed, shaking his head yes.

Griffin got right into it once Sam gave him the heads up that he could start.

You see all the flowers in the weeds

You're scared of the dark when you sleep

You cover up your arms with your sleeves

Even in hundred-degree heat

Your father was awfully mean

Your favorite color is green

It reminds you of the summer you turned three

Runnin' through sprinklers on your street

Finneg smiled as he leaned againtst the wall next to Gwen and Vance, Donna and Billy were whispering their input about the song to eachother with proud smiles. Donna and Geiffin had a strong bond, especially when they started the band

Robin and Bruce were paying attention to how Griffin had been singing with such emotion, they found it truly amazing.

Finney hummed along quietly at the few parts he could remember, leaning against Vance who was equally as impressed as everyone else in the room was.

Aren't you way too busy

Taking care of everybody

To take care of yourself?

When the sun goes missing

Aren't the flowers just as pretty?

Aren't the oceans just as deep?

The trees as green?

And as for me

I'll watch you weep

Finney could remember the very moment Griffin was singing about. He was sure it was when he was stress-crying about calling Robin, he chuckled to himself at the thought.

Oh, summer child

You don't have to act like all you feel is mild

You don't really love the sun, it drives you wild

You're lyin', summer child

When Griffin left the recording room, everyone started talking again. They complimented him on the song and hugged him quickly before deciding they should head home.

"Hey, you guys should crash at our place." Vance suggested, earning a cheer from Billy who was obviously excited.

"Sounds like a good idea." Donna smiled and Bruce smiled back at her.

"I'll send Finn the address, you guys go grab your stuff." Bruce said and everyone agreed once again.

Chapter Text

Somewhere in LA

The drive to their house was short, Donna and Gwen would be able to sleep in the guest room, Finney with Robin and Billy with Griffin.

"Be grateful i'm letting you try and get Finn back." Vance had said to Robin while they waited in the living room. "If you fuck this up, you're for the streets."

"I won't, i promise." Robin said quickly, a wide grin appearing on hjs lips when the doorbell rang.

Billy basically flew down the stairs, rushing to open the door.

"Hey Bill." Griffin smiled, kissing Billy on the cheek, who was frozen in place with blush creeping up his neck.

"Go put your stuff upstairs and we can watch a movie or something." Vance said, heading upstairs where Bruce was so he could show Gwen and Donna where their room was.

"Come with me." Billy exclaimed, dragging Griffin upstairs excitedly.

"Come on." Robin smiled softly, leading Finney to his bedroom. He grabbed Finney's bag from him and put it on the end of his bed. "You don't mind sharing a bed with me, right?" Robin asked to which Finney shook his head.

"That's fine, we're friends, aren't we?" Finney said and Robin smiled a little wider and shook his head yes.

Afte awhile, everyone was in their pyjamas downstairs, scattered around in the living room. Robin and Vance had decided on their own that they would watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

When the movie started to play, everyone got comfortable and started to watch.

Throughout the movie, you would be able to hear Finney or Bruce yelp or gasp, to which most of the peope in the room laughed except one another.

"The movie wasn't that scary." Robin said to Finney who had Bruce's hand in a tight hold.

"Yes, it was." Finney and Bruce said defensively, holdjng eachother's hand tightly.

"Whatever, I'm tired." Vance said, standing up and pulling Bruce with him.

"Me and Griff are gonna turn in too." Billy said, already halfway across the room with Griffin. Donna and Gwen were following after.

Finney and Robin went upstairs too, getting into bed without a word other than a few goodnight's.

Finney wasn't sure how he had managed it, but he could've sworn he left space between he and Robin the previous night. Yet somehow, he was cuddled up to Robin, whose arm was secured around his waist.

Finney tried to shuffle out of Robin's hold, but he realised he hadn't found it in himself to actually care about how close they were. 

"Mornin'." Robin muttered, his voice hoarse with sleep. Finney mumbled a small 'morning' back, earning a small chuckle from Robin.

They were laid in the position for awhile, not speaking a word to eachother until Finney finally broke the silence with the words that had been eating him alive since they stopped speaking for a few moments.

"I don't think friends do this." Finney mumbled, but his tone was careless. He didn't mind their situation at all.

"Friends do this all the time" Robin said after taking a glance at Finney's half awake expression.

"I don't think they do," Finney mumbled in response. "but okay. If you say so."

"If friends didn't do this, would that be a problem for you?" Robin asked, his voice still soft and gentle. He knew he was pushing it, but it was worth a shot.

"No, never a problem with you." Finney muttered sleepily. He hadn't even registered his response in all honesty, it just happened to slip out.

"Can i ask you something?" Robin whispered, bringing a hand up to Finney's face and brushing a stray hair from his eyes. Finney shook his head yes, and Robin smiled softly.

"Do you maybe like me...more than a friend?" He asked, his hoped were very high, but never too high.

"Is it okay if i say yes?" Finneg asked tiredly, his expression soft and neutral.

"Yeah, I think it's okay." Robin chuckled quietly.

The two drifted back into a comfortable silence, Robin was tracing gentle patterns onto Finney's waist. His hand was briefly underneath the hem of the other's shirt.

"I love you." Robin whispered.

Finney didn't freeze as he usually would've. He didn't get up and leave, he had every chance to, but he didn't. He could never do that.

So, for the first time in what felt like forever. Finney whispered those three measly words bacm to Robin.

"I love you too."