Disclaimer: I do not own anything mentioned in this story or otherwise. Also, although I am very aware that AJ Styles is on SmackDown Live – making his presence here somewhat out-of-place – I will be ignoring this fact for this story.

It was all so familiar. The mischievous glint in his blue eyes as he playfully teased his friends, followed as always by his easy-going laughter. The lilt in his voice that only got stronger the more excited he got. That brilliant smile he flashed to every fan that stopped them for autographs. That characteristic stiff posture he adopted for almost every photo. None of it had changed for the many years they had known him. And no one expected it to ever change. Finn was Finn, and that was that.

That must have been why that night had seemed so strange right from the start. All at once, Finn was none of what everyone had gotten used to. AJ Styles noticed right away. "Hey, man, what's up?" he asked as he and Finn piled into the car behind Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.

"What do you mean?" Finn retorted, nonchalantly shrugging. "I'm fine." He buckled himself into his seat, then immediately turned back to the window and stared outside without another word.

Brushing aside his nagging worry, AJ decided it would be best to leave the Irishman to his brooding. After all, he reasoned, everyone's entitled to a bit of alone time every now and again. He too watched the scenery scrolling past his window, until Luke and Karl's loud conversation in the front of the car caught his attention. Just like that, Finn's strange behavior was forgotten.

Later on that night, the small group of friends had checked into their hotel and finally settled down for bed. As was their typical custom, AJ and Finn shared a room while Luke and Karl slept in the adjoining one. Finn curled up in the bed farthest from the door almost immediately, not bothering to shower or even change.

"That tired, huh?" AJ joked, rifling around in his luggage for his toothbrush. When his friend failed to answer, he looked up and found that Finn had turned his back to him. "Sorry, man," he stated, despite not fully understanding what he was apologizing for. "I'll, uh, leave you to it then." With that, he made the short journey to the bathroom and commenced his evening routine.

A few hours later, long after AJ had drifted off into dream-land, he was awoken by a strange sound coming from the other side of the room. "Finn? That you?" he slurred, only half awake. He rubbed his eyes and probed around the bedside table for a light switch. He found what he was looking for and turned the lamp on. What he saw in front of him both confused and mildly startled him.

Finn was no longer wearing a shirt and was hunched over the desk in the corner. His paints were sprawled out in front of him, several of which were open. He turned slightly in response to the sudden light, which allowed his friend to better see what he was doing. He had splattered black and red paint across his chest and shoulders and had sloppily applied more of the same to his face. His eyes locked with AJ's and he slowly reached up and dragged his hand along the side of his face, his fingers leaving white streaks in their wake. Neither man spoke.

AJ could feel Finn's gaze on him the entire way to the door connecting their room with Luke and Karl's. He hurried to shut the door behind him, slamming it louder than he had intended. Luke opened one eye and glared at him through the darkness. "What's your damn problem, AJ?" he growled. "It's three in the morning."

"It's Finn, Luke," AJ shot back in a loud whisper, inching away from the door. "He's actin' weird."

"What's new?" Luke grunted, running a hand down his face. "I always told him all that face paint would get to his head." Karl snickered from the other bed.

"No, no, not, like, Finn weird," AJ insisted, glancing back toward his room. "I'm talkin' creepy weird. He's… He's paintin' himself in the dark."

"So?" Luke mumbled, closing his eyes again. "Guy needs his practice."

"In the dark, man?" AJ retorted. He threw his hands up. "Look, he's been off all night. I don't know what's up with him."

"I think you're looking too far into this, AJ," Karl piped up, waving one hand dismissively. "He was just probably tired earlier. And he just didn't want to wake you up just now. That's all."

"That's not it," AJ stated, again dropping his voice to a harsh whisper. "His eyes, man. They're… different."

"Just go back to sleep," Karl yawned. "I'm sure he's fine."

AJ hesitated a few more moments before creeping back through the door. The lamp was still on, enabling him to see Finn, now peacefully asleep in his own bed. There wasn't a trace of paint on him. "Maybe they're right," AJ muttered to himself, cautiously lowering himself back into his bed. "You're just seein' things, AJ." He flicked the light off again and returned to sleep.