𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 ; 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘆

02

after a few minutes, finney took his hands away from his face. he immediately regretted it though, because as soon as he did so, he was met with bruce hovering inches above him. "jesus-!" he scrambled away, sitting up in the process. as he sat up, he went through bruce. bruce jumped away, his eyes wide. he looked a little panicked. finney's eyes went wide at the same time, he felt ice cold now. bruce scoffed. "didnt anyone teach you that's rude?" he scoffed, shooting him a glare.

"no! it wasn't rude, because you aren't real." finney shook his head. bruce gave him a look. "i dont know why you're doing all this 'it's not real shit'. its not the first time we've spoken." finney stood up, brushing himself off. "yeah, before you died. you're dead. you've been dead." bruce huffed. "it's inconsiderate to talk about someone's death like that." finney scoffed. "no, it's not, because you're not actually here." he shakes his head. "dont you think it's more insane that you're talking to me and i'm not real than if i was a ghost?" finney bit his lip. "you're not real. none of that was real."

bruce tilts his head to the side. "really? you don't think any of us were real?" finney nodded, sitting back on his bed. bruce sat — well, he hovered beside him. "you weren't. it was a way for me to cope," he said, crossing his arms. "robin wasn't dead anyways, how could i have spoken to his ghost?"

"you really don't get how the phone works, do you?"

"it doesn't. that's how." bruce hums. "why are you still talking to me, then?" finney swallowed, standing up. "leave me alone." he stood back up, going back over to where he set his bags, he needed to unpack. unfortunately, bruce just followed behind him. finney tried his best to ignore him, but it was hard when he was touching all his stuff and constantly asking questions. "finney, dude, come on. i haven't had anyone to speak to in a year."

"you're not real," finney said once again. bruce huffed. "how can i prove it?" finney looked up at him, eyeing him up and down. "you cant. you're not real," he spoke more to himself than to bruce, but bruce didnt pay attention. bruce sighed. "come on! you know i'm real, finney. you're just scared if you admit it, you'll get sent back." finney visibly tensed, turning to face bruce. "low blow." bruce shrugged, "i got your attention, didnt i?" finney glared. "why are you so persistent?" bruce huffed, dramatically flopping onto finney's bed — which he eventually just fell through. he reappeared a few seconds later. "you're the only one who can see me." he said.

finney sighed. "there has to be someone else, anyone. you have got to find someone else." bruce shook his head. "there isn't! thirteen months and no one could see me. i've spent thirteen months you and you couldn't even see me until–" finney paused. "you've been with me? this whole time?" bruce glanced at him, a little bit of a guilty look on his face. "..yeah." finney's eyebrows furrowed. "i have been able to see you." bruce looked at him. "what? why wouldn't you say anything?" finney stared at him with a blank expression. "are you kidding me? i was trying to get out of there, you think i can just say, 'oh and by the way i'm kinda seeing the ghost of bruce yamada'," he scoffs. "i'm not saying that! why didnt you talk to me?"

"because you're not real. you weren't real then, and you're not real now." bruce groaned. "finney blake, i swear to you i am real. and i know that's something someone not real could say, but i'm here! i exist. you felt me. come on, you're the only person who can see me and i'm so tired of being stuck in this stupid inbetween world! i cant eat or drink or touch things! i'm losing it, finn. i dont even have the other ghosts to talk to! they all just— disappeared? no one can see me and i am so lonely. you have to help me."

finney just stared at him, before letting out a heavy sigh. "do you know where this is going to get me? back in the hospital." he wanted to say no, but the pleasing look on bruce's face was making it really hard. "well fuck," he cursed under his breath. "fine— fine. i'll help you." bruce's features immediately lit up. "thank you! god– i would hug you right now if i could." finney stepped away. "please don't try— i dont want to feel that weird thing again."

"i didn't intend on it. its just as weird for me as it is for you." finney nodded in understanding, before going over and sitting on his bed. he ran a hand through his hair. "so,, you're really real? we're the others real?" bruce floated over to the bed, hovering beside him. "yes. it was all real, we helped you," finney swallowed. "holy shit," he looked at his lap. "a year and one month. three hundred and ninety-six days i spent being told that it was just,, a way to cope?" he chewed on the inside of his cheek. "it really wasn't?" bruce shook his head. "i'm not crazy," finney breathed out. "that's actually debatable," finney ignored that comment, furrowing his brows. "why can i see you?" he looked at bruce. "why can i see and speak to you guys? no one else can. that doesn't make sense," bruce shrugged.

"i dunno, been askin' myself the same question. maybe you're like a physic or something, that's why the phone worked for you." finney swallows, nodding. "so.. albert.?" bruce nods. "yeah. completely," finney paused, he had so many questions for things that didn't add up, that didn't make sense. "right, how did i speak to robin while i was in the basement, though? that makes no sense, he wasn't dead."

"dont question the phone, man." finney sighed. "whatever, let's try and get to the bottom of this. i don't want to be seen speaking to a ghost," bruce nodded in agreement. "first we need to figure out why you're here. it usually has something to do with unfinished business, i think? but logically your business should've been the grabber.. you should've left when he was killed, like the other did." finney fidgeted with the hem of his sleeve. "maybe it was your death. something else happened, something that put your business else where," he looked at him. "what happened before you died?"

"it's very rude to bring up someone's death like that."

"answer the question." bruce sighed. "i don't remember a lot of it. it was painful," he gestures to his face, "clearly. i just— it's like i was there, and then i wasnt? i cant remember anything. at all. it's all just.. fuzzy. its like its on the edge of my brain, you know? i can almost remember it. its there so clearly i can feel it, but not enough to recall it." he rambles. finney stares at him for a minute before falling back onto his bed. "what am i getting myself into?" bruce looks over at him. "you offered your help." finney scoffs. "you harrassed me. is it too late to back down?"

"far too late."
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word count: 1,244
no going back now buddy‼️