BRANCE + RINNEY

Rinney - Sober Up

Finn lazily spun the empty brown bottle in front of him, hazed eyes gazing upon it as it clattered softly against the wall in front of him. The walls of the room danced with each breath the boy took. Colors mended together, creating splotches in places that were usually deemed bland. Finn picked up the fallen bottle, tilting it upside down as he attempted to free the last drop held inside of its glassy interior.

There were three knocks at Finn's door. Each one a level louder than the last.

Finn ignored the noise of fists pounding against wood, deeming it better if he just kept silent. Deep down the boy knew he shouldn't have touched the murky-brown liquid. Nor drank from it. But, here he was.

"Finn, could you open the fucking door." Robin pounded once more against the wood, knuckles encrusting the yellow paint on it a dark shade of red. Finn shook his head, eyes warm from the aftermath of drinking. He was definitely going to vomit soon.

"Finn. Open the goddamn door." Robin's voice was louder, rougher than when he had first spoke while knocking. Oh how Finn hated the boy's angered tone.

"You have five seconds before I kick this door down Finney." Robin's voice was similar to a low growl from a feline, both intimidating and awaiting a violent act. Finn wanted to run from it.

Robin began to count on the other side of the door, words slow and clear as numbers rolled from his tongue and through the thick air of the home. Finn spun the bottle once more, wincing as it hit the wall at the same time the door swung open.

"Why didn't you open the door." Robin stood before the boy, his eyes angered and gazing down upon the empty, almost shattered, alcoholic beverage. Finn looked at him with hazed over eyes, a soft frown playing upon his lips as he blinked slowly. "Didn't want to."

Robin sighed and began to clean up the boy's mess, pointedly avoiding the small glass shards leant against the cracked tan wall of the room. He'd get some gloves later and pick them up. Finn watched the boy empty things into a nearby trash can, wishing that he could somehow help instead of make things worse.

The last object marked as trash was thrown into the grey bin, sliding down to the bottom slowly before landing upon a crumpled piece of paper. Robin turned to Finn, arms crossed as he gazed upon the clearly drunken boy.

"Finn. Shit's gotta change man. You're-, this isn't good for you. For us." Robin motioned around the room as he talked, hands motioning themselves towards empty bottles of alcohol and corners of the room where crumbled up journal paper lay in piles.

Finn knew his boyfriend was right. Shit, he was more than right. Finn just didn't know how to stop. He didn't even know how to begin to.

"Robin I-, I need help. It's fucking up my brain. I'm fucking up everything. I-," Finn pressed his back against the wall behind him, eyes watering as he looked towards the boy in front of him. Robin crouched in front of him. His hands found their way into Finn's hair, gently rubbing through it as the boy against the wall began to close his bloodshot eyes.

"I'll try to get you some sort of help Finn. But for now, I need you to trust in what I say."

Finn felt himself nodding his head, smiling absentmindedly as a soft kiss was pressed to his temple. Robin picked him up and laid him atop their shared bed, frowning ever so slightly as the boy began to drift off into a dreamless sleep.

"Trust me Finn. I'll take care of you, my sweet boy."

Finn's mouth tasted bitter, the last drops of alcohol he had downed the night prior still leaving an after-affect on his tongue. He wiped at his face, eyes blinking tiredly as sunlight poured through the room and over the blanket he was using to cover himself.

Something was different.

Finn yawned, right hand covering his opened mouth as he scanned the room for his boyfriend who usually slept next to him through the night. Though, weirdly enough, the boy wasn't there now.

Finn's tongue lapped against the roof of his mouth twice before sitting back in it's original place. The boy pulled a disgusted look as he once again tasted the bitter flavor of alcohol. Standing up, Finn shook off the remaining sleep that made his legs wobbly and made his way towards the bedroom door.

The door was opened quietly, cracked only enough for the faint scent of cooked breakfast foods to waft through the small bedroom.

Finn raised an eyebrow, clicking his tongue momentarily before he made his exit from the room. The smell of breakfast became stronger, more potent, as Finn walked down the long, outstretched hallway. His feet thudded against the carpeted floor with each step, the sound of creaking floorboards echoing and bouncing off of the surrounding walls as he turned a corner and approached the kitchen.

Robin swayed to a song, one hand wrapped around the handle of a skillet while the other turned the dial of a nearby stereo. He hummed a series of lyrics, absentmindedly stirring the contents inside of the skillet as he danced slowly around the tiled floor.

Finn smiled at the boy in the kitchen. He slowly walked towards him, laughing as the boy became startled when he wrapped his arms around his waist.

"What are you making?" Finn leaned close to Robin's ear, placing a gentle kiss against his jawline as he awaited the boy's answer. Robin blushed, thoughts faltering slightly as he tried to remember what his boyfriend had asked.

"Pancakes." Finn swayed the two of them back and forth gently as Robin finished cooking. The current song stopped playing and was soon replaced by a new one.

("Breathe deep, breathe clear
Know that I'm here, know that I'm here")

Finn let go of Robin, allowing him to plate the food before it began to burn. Robin smiled as he set their plates on the small dining room table, looking at Finn for only a moment to motion his head towards the seats for the other boy to come and sit down with him.

("Stay strong, stay gold
You don't have to fear, you don't have to fear
Waiting")

Finn smiled as he walked towards his boyfriend. The smell of pancakes and the soft fragrance Robin engulfed himself in wafted around the room.

The two boys sat next to each other, hands interlocking for the briefest moment as they bowed their heads and Robin began to pray. It was a quick prayer, mainly over the food he had cooked and a sick family member. Though at the end, he surprised Finn in what he had said.

"God, if you could grant me one wish, please make it possible for Finn to stay both sober and happy. I love him. I don't-, I can't lose him. Not him."

Robin hadn't cried when he said it, but he sounded close to it. Finn had grasped his hand even tighter, attempting to pour the love he felt for the boy through their interlocked fingers. Robin had returned the tight grasp, smiling with warmed eyes when he finished praying and looked at the boy next to him.

("How could a heart like yours ever love a heart like mine?")

Finn leaned over to Robin and pressed a gentle kiss to the boy's cheek. "Thank you for the food. Thank you for being here for me. Thank you for everything. I love you Robin." Finn leaned back into his seat, eyes slightly watering as he stuck his fork into a pancake. Robin stared at him for a few seconds, unsure of what to say. "I told you I'd take care of you. I love you." Robin pushed himself closer to the boy next to him, placing a hand upon his chin to turn his head towards him. Finn looked at Robin, eyes still watery from what the boy had said prior. Robin smiled at the boy and leaned into him, closing the space between them with a gentle kiss pressed to his lips.

("You opened up my eyes
Hold fast hope
All your love is all I've ever known")

Robin pulled away from the kiss after a long moment and pressed his head against Finn's.

"I'll always take care of you."

It had been almost two months since then and not a single bottle of alcohol had been touched. It was hard for Finn. Of course it was hard. But he had Robin. He had Robin and that was all he needed.