Ah, see, you might be more of a fan of my alternate ending. Strap in for more of the characters having to deal with loss in my pitch for the Black Phone 3 (alternate ending):
Everything is the same up to the crew realizing that Robin can’t move on because Ernesto isn’t letting go. Then conversations go differently.
Ernesto still tells Robin that he wants him to stay. But Robin tells him that he can’t do that. It’s Ernesto’s life, and he needs to really think about what he’s even suggesting. He’d be giving up any and all forms of privacy. While Ernesto’s mind needs to sleep, Robin’s doesn’t. He’d never have another moment to himself again. He’d never have a moment alone with Gwen again. It wouldn’t be fair and it wouldn’t work. He tells Ernesto he doesn’t want to share his life. He wants Ernesto to have his own, just like Robin had. Because even if it was short, it’d been his, and until the end, it’d been damn good.
Gwen is crying at this point. Robin is the one talking and he’s calm, but Ernesto’s tears are escaping anyway. Finn is stone faced but his eyes are watering.
Ernesto finally talks again and says he missed feeling close with him. Robin calls him an idiot and says they’ll always be close; they’re brothers. And Robin is never as gone as he thinks. And as his big brother, he’s asking him to listen.
Ernesto finally nods in acceptance, which is when Finn breaks.
Gwen reaches over to try to comfort him, but he pulls away.
Robin finally approaches him.
He says something like, “You thought you might just be some kid I knew when I was 13, Finn. But for me, things have never really changed. I still feel the same as I did at 13, back when all I wanted was to eat enough candy with you to almost get sick, then convince you to go with me and my uncle on Saturday night to see the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Back when I kept thinking about how maybe if during the movie you looked scared I could get away with putting my hand on top of yours or even just sticking out my hand far enough so our hands would be touching. You were the love of my life, Finn.” He reaches out at this point and is holding Finn’s hand. “But I’m just your first love. You’ll have more, and I want you to.”
(Note, the studio would never let this be as gay as it needs to be, so imagine instead he says Finn was his best friend, but Finn will have more friends).
Finn shakes his head. He can’t quite say it, but it’s obvious he means no, Robin will always be the love of his life, too.
Still Robin continues. He says that when he told Finn to live for him, this isn’t what he imagined. He wants so much more for him.
Finn finally finds his voice enough to cry out that it’s too hard.
But Robin shakes his head. Says not for the Finn he knows. Not for the smartest, bravest guy he ever knew. Not for his fighter. It’s hard, but he can. But he needs to let Robin go, knowing that Robin is never all the way gone. That he’s there cheering for him. But that he can’t be what holds Finn back. That he can’t stand that when he knows Finn has amazing things coming for him if he just lets it happen.
Finn finally shakes his head in approval, saying something like, “I’ll miss you.”
And Robin reminds him he doesn’t need to. He’s around.
Finn nods and Robin motions for Gwen and he hugs both of them, and he whispers in Gwen’s ear, “Please take care of them for me.” And she nods with tears in her eyes.
Finally Robin moves away from the Blake’s and tells Ernesto that it’s time. They say they love each other one last time, and then Ernesto lets him go.
The scene ends with the three of them crying and holding each other.
The next scene is a time skip. We see Finn in a library reading about something space related.
A girl (could be a guy also, but obviously this scene would need to be handled more subtly due to the time period) his age comes up to him and says she’s sorry for interrupting, but that she works there and has been curious for awhile about what led from the jump from the supernatural checkouts to astrophysics.
Finn looks surprised but says he knows, she’s checked him out books before. Then tells her he’s starting at college in the spring and is trying to prepare. He’s decided to focus on that instead of the supernatural.
She smiles and then confesses that she’s actually wanted to ask him out for awhile but has been too shy to ask.
Finn hesitates but finally says that he’s sorry but that he can’t.
The girl takes it well and says it’s okay and that she hopes this won’t make his library visits awkward. She just wanted to be brave and shoot her shot.
She say goodbye and starts to walk away but Finn calls for her to wait.
He then starts rambling like, “Look, I am the last person in the world who should be dating anyone. I’m a complete wreck; I can’t fall asleep without smoking a joint first, the only person I know how to have a conversation with is my sister, and I’m always looking over my shoulder. But if you wanted to be friends or something-” At this point Finn just stops and sighs, realizing how it all must sound. “Nevermind. I sound like a lunatic-”
But the girl interrupts him and says she wouldn’t mind a friend. She thinks Finney sounds interesting and she could introduce him to some people she goes to the local college with. She then says she has her lunch break in a few minutes and asks if Finn wants to go to the restaurant across the street as friends.
He says yes and says he’ll meet her at the front desk. As she walks away, we see him meaningfully look at the seat across from him that’s pushed out just a little. Finn puts his hand on the table and then slowly moves his fingers across the table. He smiles tightly, then nods.
The camera pans down to the table and we see Robin’s hand is touching Finn’s just like Robin had mentioned wanting. Finn then pulls his hand away and closes the book and takes off to the front of the library. We then hear Robin say, “You’ve got this, Finn.” Before his hand disappears. (Note, this is a shot for the audience, it’s obvious that Finn can’t actually see, hear, or feel Robin. He’s just choosing to believe that since Robin said he’s always there that he’ll get the memo and touch hands, which he does).
Then during the credits you see Finn talking to library girl and walking out with her (music is playing so no dialogue, but it seems to be going well).
And that’s the alternate ending! Hire me!