Chapter 8: New Beginnings
Tyler couldn't praise whatever was out there watching over him enough when Mom and him were finally released from the boring hellscape called a hospital. He still wanted to turn a new leaf instead of constantly pushing his issues aside and away, but Mom was still nearly deadly quiet with the two of them, but both knew that she didn't blame either of them.
She probably just thought they were both insane, but…well, Tyler wouldn't even blame her on that one, he probably was insane in some degree given everything that's happened. They called as soon as Tyler was allowed to release as Tyler requested to come in today, to which the manager obviously allowed as the three drove home to get changed into actual clothes.
Mom didn't look at them nicely, but both of them swore that they were telling the truth. At this point, it was just a matter of if she would believe Tommy or not, since…well, it was the truth and that was the worst part. If Kyle had nightmares about seeing Tommy's dead body, Tyler didn't really feel anything by it.
He didn't want to think of what that made him, it wasn't a battle he could win against himself. He'll tackle that, but he won't be alone when he does. Tyler couldn't hold back the smile he had at the idea of seeing Aegis again. He couldn't help wondering if he told his name to the others and hoping he didn't so he could see their reactions. He also hopes they didn't laugh at the choice or anything, he thought pretty hard about it!
But…he had to give Kyle that, he did make a lot of decisions spur of the moment, and telling their mother about Tommy was no exception, but it had to happen eventually. Looking back, it was driving them all apart and Tommy was really missing her the most. It hurts, so..maybe this will help. The three of them got into the car as Kyle drove them to the restaurant effortlessly, "He's been missing you, you know." Kyle said out of nowhere as Tyler grinned.
"I've been missing him too. Hopefully got a surprise for you guys as well." Tyler said as cryptically as he could, even adding a wink to it while Kyle rolled his eyes. The trip over wasn't really long, but it was relaxing as Tyler saw the restaurant in the distance. It had improved quite a lot since Kyle arrived, but it was still a smallish restaurant building. The logo was neatly ripped out from the earlier one that Tyler had been trapped in, but the place was a lot smaller. Despite that fact, there were quite a lot of people gathered to go on in, a lot of people were excited.
"Woah! That's Private Tyler! Do you think he'll give us more stories!?" Tyler blushed at being recognized by a small boy running by.
"Easy there! You wouldn't want to get hit by cars, would you?" Tyler heard the boy's mother telling him as Tyler waved to them.
"Private Tyler?" Mom asked, confused as Tyler blushed a bit more.
"I-It's be-"
"Tyler here works at Pirate's Cove with Foxy, you should listen to their stories, they're really good at it. Foxy's been missing Tyler lately and the kids have been as well, but well, that's…not the main reason we're here, right?" Kyle couldn't help but bring down the mood as Mom smiled.
"I'll be sure to watch then, Foxy's always been his favorite after all," Mom said simply as Tyler let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he had held in, "You okay, 'Private' Tyler?" Mom asked teasingly as Tyler nodded.
"Yeah, I…I just was remembering back when I was a kid and what happened, so I was…well, kinda scared of what you would think." Tyler answered honestly as he watched her roll her eyes.
"Oh, don't get me wrong, I was…hesitant after that, but that was when he was malfunctioning. He's not doing that now and I still remember how much you grew up loving Captain Foxy and his wild adventures. I figured you would do your best to try and be by him if I have to be honest," Mom admitted with a smile, "So don't feel bad about that, the past is the past and we're not there anymore, right?"
"Yeah, let's get inside before we have a mob on our hands." Tyler chuckled nervously as he could feel the stares that were steadily looking their way. As the group led the very much rabid horde of Story Time lovers into the restaurant, much to Tyler's terror, the employees looked at the two of them like they were insane.
"You volunteering?" The employee asked with a raised eyebrow as Tyler shook his head.
"I think Kyle is-" Tyler said as Kyle butted in with a yes, "but I'm actually due to be on shift in a few minutes. Mom here is coming in as a customer though." Tyler explained smoothly, "Sorry for th-"
"Ah, don't worry, it's honestly more lively with you guys here…just…please help me handle this crowd." The employee begged as Tyler laughed nervously.
"I'll…definitely try." Tyler replied as he looked at Kyle, who looked back with wide eyes.
"Woah, you want me to help too?" Tyler nodded, "Bu-"
"Dude, look behind you, we need all the help we can get. Or I'll tell Ca-Chica no to making you pizza tonight." Tyler stuttered over the name as Kyle blanked.
"H-Hey! Fine, I'll help out too!" Kyle pouted as Mom looked around the place, but didn't really move far from the entrance area, looking at her two sons helping the cashier make three different entrance lines and preventing anyone from slipping on by without paying.
"You can head on ahead if you want, Mom." Tyler informed offhandedly while making sure the person in front of him paid enough for their three kids.
"It's fine, I don't mind waiting and helping out." Sure enough, it took them what felt like forever to get through the massive crowd, which only seemed to populate the main area waiting on Tyler, much to the pity of the employee next to him and Kyle's amusement, but after about a half hour of cashiering, Tyler looked to the crowd.
"Alright! We have finally made it through!" Tyler shouted as the people cheered for 'Private Tyler', "Now, WHO'S READY FOR STORY TIME!" Tyler continued as the roaring of the children commenced.
"Holy hell, when did you get so popular!?" The cashier looked at Tyler like he was crazy, but Tyler could only shrug as he was pushed through the crowd towards the area. He stopped in front of the entrance and looked back, only to see the crowd turn into a giant massive line and his mother standing next to him looking a bit dizzy.
"Alright, now, don't be mad about this one, but we only have room for…" Tyler glanced at the sign before looking back, "300 people in here, and I would kindly ask if my mother could be one of them, since it's her first time watching it. Other than that, I think that I'll be able to convince Captain Foxy to come out in about five or so minutes. Is that alright with you all?" Tyler asked as an incomprehensible horde of answers came his way, but the person in front of him tapped his arm.
"I don't mind, you just want to show her something you love, right?" The lady in front of him, with two children that looked to be maybe 6 years old, smiled and said. Tyler nodded, "Then go ahead and have her stand in front of me, she was the first out of all of us to get through the cashier line, so she should be able to go first regardless, given she was waiting on you," The lady smoothly let Mom stand in front of her as Mom thanked her, "No problem, it's my pleasure."
Tyler smiled as he entered the closed curtain before immediately bumping into someone with an 'oof', "Yer late," Tyler heard the crowd's excitement as he looked up and stepped back a step, "But it's good to have yuh back, Private." Aegis grinned at him, "I take it ye is your mother?" Aegis said as he looked towards Mom. Tyler nodded before catching his eye with a grin of his own.
"So, Captain Foxy, are yer willing to let aboard these landlubbers for another tale of the harrowing seas and trials we've faced!? I'm sure we've found a good one with the time we've been gone." Tyler couldn't resist bringing out his own pirate accent as Aegis laughed wholeheartedly.
"Of course! Ready the helm, and bring them aboard, we'll set sail in a minute!" Aegis and Tyler went inside as before jumping on top of the prop ship brought in, "So, yer…yer remembering what happened, right?" Aegis asked as Tyler nodded, "Yer leading the story then, alright?"
"Sure, it's good to see you again, Aegis, I…I missed you," Tyler couldn't resist the urge to hug him, much to the amusement of his friend, "I missed you so much, I can hardly believe it."
"Shh…it's alright, Tyler, it's alright. Now then, let's tell them… together." Tyler nodded as the two grinned towards the entrance, "Alrighty, ye landlubbers, come aboard! We got a special story waiting just in store!" Aegis opened the area up as Tyler was tempted to jump down to help get them in, but Aegis was the one to jump down instead to help out as Tyler took center stage.
It took a while as Aegis gathered the crowd inside before Tyler did his best to help him aboard the ship, "Alright, settle down everyone!" Tyler started as the muttering of the crowd settled down aside from some few whispers here and there, "This one is our most recent journey, and…it's a bit personal with it, so who's ready to hear about a plague that reveals one's darkest secrets for all to see?" Tyler noticed the crowd looked in apt attention now at his tone not being as jolly as it had been in the other stories he's done, "Then here goes."
"We were going across the seven seas in search of treasure, but the treasure map warned us of a cave that one could find themselves trapped in for days on end, trapped with only themselves," Aegis started as his Captain Foxy persona came to be. Tyler wasn't able to hear too much of the accent, but figured he was too used to hearing it to notice at this point, "When aye heard of this, we knew we just had to have it for ourselves! With the desire of riches untold and fame unbound, we traveled into the dark cave."
Tyler didn't hesitate in jumping in, "Now, we tried saying it wasn't just greed or fame, that we were doing it to find the missing people, but we knew better. After all, can you really lie to yourself? The cave was pitch black with hardly a light in sight as we went in, only to watch a rock block the entrance! We had no choice, but to wander in the dark."
"We kept close to each other, unable to do much else, but our minds played tricks on us. A flicker there or a glint over here could put the fear of the sea into any landlubber," Aegis continued on before looking at Tyler, "Then again, it wasn't called the Mirror Cave for nothing. We eventually came face to face with an evil, foul magic that showed who we really were!"
A hand came up in the crowd, "But, Captain Foxy, you're a hero! What else could you be?" The question came about as Tyler stepped up with a sad look on his face.
"All heroes have struggles, it's because there's one thing people forget about heroes. We're all human, and humans will always make mistakes. Sure, Captain Foxy is a hero to the masses, but what about to those who he steals his booty from? What about those beasts that just wished to live another day in the sun? Would they say he's a hero?" Tyler answered honestly as the crowd was stunned into silence, "But, that doesn't mean they're bad people, it's just like how each and every one of you have struggles in your own life. Does that make you all villains?" Tyler grinned.
"NO!" The children shouted as Tyler and Aegis laughed.
"Exactly, me mateys! This story is…our lowest point possible. The voices would point out how we came for greed and merely laughed at us, but we pushed forward. It pointed out any flaw we had made throughout our adventures in the past, be it from me wanting to try and push forward despite the warnings of danger for selfish means."
"But we continued on, because we had already known that. We knew we weren't saints, we're pirates of a pirate crew! We kept walking in while bantering with the sorry sags of ourselves that tried to disallude us from getting the treasure we seeked! No matter what the challenge, we never backed down! Not beforehand, and certainly not this time either!" Tyler cut in with a grin, "So we told the shadows that they were right, but so what!? We weren't always the good guys, we weren't always the shining knights in golden armor, but we were the ones that would grab it for treasure! And that treasure? That treasure would be what we would give back to the people, so they can share in that wisdom and riches too! We came for greed, and by golly, were we wanting to see the gold at the end of the tunnel!"
"The darkness helped us none as we stumbled by like chickens with no heads, but we stuck to the walls as we wandered through the cave. The shadows were desperate, doing whatever they could to discourage us from walking onward by whatever they could think of. Knives shot out from wherever they could appear from, to the point that Private Tyler had to shove me out of the way of some of them." Aegis said as Tyler grimaced.
"Note to you guys, knives hurt, especially in the gut, but I wanted to do what I could to help Cap here! I threw him to the ground as he was struggling to find the wall to continue on when I heard the whizzing in the air coming for him. After pushing him down, a massive gash tore into my gut and pain reached up from within me, but we knew that we were getting closer. Was it because of greed? In a way, absolutely, but the villagers were missing their friends, so we were going for them too!"
"It helped that the exit we came from was closed anyways, not much else to do in the dark!" Aegis laughed out, "The shadows continued trying to convince us that the treasure wasn't there, but we merely laughed in their faces. Like some silly ghosts were going to stop Captain Foxy!"
The two continued going through the story back and forth, and while Tyler knew it was probably not going to be as highly rated as the other stories, it was the one that they wanted to share. They kept going, with questions not really popping up as the children listened to the struggles that 'cave' gave them. Monsters that lurked in the dark after them to versions of their past out to try and convince them to leave. All the way down to the doubts that plagued their own minds. Their reasons had changed, becoming more what it should be after being confronted by what they were, and when they finally made it to the end and had a choice between the treasure and the people? They took the people and left the treasure behind without hesitation as the cave crashed to the seas behind them.
"It just wasn't as important to us anymore. Sure, the money is nice, but what's treasure without anyone to share it with? What's money without people to give it to? What money is ever worth human sacrifice? Surely not that!" Tyler said with a scoff.
"Besides, we knew better after all of that. We entered with greed in our hearts and we paid the price for it. We were consumed by our desire and it nearly cost us what was truly important. Our lives," Aegis said somewhat morbidly before smiling, "But we made sure that we learned the value they hold and made the choice we personally feel was right. No treasure is worth its weight in lives, no money is worth the toll of blood," Aegis looked towards the crowd, "No matter what, don't lose yerselfs like we have, keep an eye on what you're fighting for, and know that there can always be more than one reason to do something." Aegis explained simply as the two bowed right on time for the bell that signaled the end of Story Time hour.
The crowd were silent for a few seconds, as if they were hypnotized before Mom started clapping, which soon sent the rest of them clapping alongside her as Tyler scratched the side of his head out of embarrassment, "We'll see you around! Have a fantastical time here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria!" Tyler and Aegis recited in unison with twin grins as almost everyone started heading out of the area. A few tried to remain, but Tyler merely answered directional questions from some, or helped them find their children for others along with Aegis' help.
Soon enough, the only three people in the Cove were Aegis, Tyler and Mom. Mom merely stared at Aegis with a smile, "It's nice to see you again, how are you enjoying yourself?" Mom asked as both of them looked at her, with only Tyler looking a bit confused but glad.
"I'm doing well, you?" Aegis answered with a light smile as Mom looked at Tyler.
"You're both doing great, just know that we're proud of what you two did," Mom said out of nowhere as Tyler blinked.
"Okay, hold up, back up a bit. I know what we've done, but how do you know what we did?" Tyler couldn't help but ask as he stared at Aegis, "Did you tell her or something?" Tyler asked to only get a helpless shake of the head in reply.
"Tyler, I was the one that made the wish all those years ago. I know these things, and I know you're the Host here….so what name did you give him?" Mom's smile turned mischievous, "Is it Fox? Big? Foxster?"
"Stopppppppp!" Tyler groaned in pure embarrassment, "What is it with you two and going after me for Pupster! He loved his name!" Tyler whined as Aegis simply smiled.
"Besides, I told Tyler here that I would castrate him if he dared name me Fox or anything similar." He grinned menacingly as Tyler took a step away from him.
"Good job." Mom said with the same menacing smile on her face as Tyler looked at them both.
"Mom, not you too!" Tyler whined again before feeling them hug him, "His name is…well, don't laugh, but his name is Aegis." Tyler explained after a few embarrassed coughs as Mom looked at Aegis.
"That's a pretty good name. Why did you pick it?" Mom asked as Tyler had the slight feeling she wasn't the only one asking as Aegis tapped his back reassuringly.
"Well, in video games, Aegis tends to be a shield or protector of some sort. I just…felt that fit Aegis here to a T. He's always doing his best to keep me safe, or to make me feel like… like I don't have to pretend to be okay. That I can just admit that I can't do something without feeling like I'm putting more work onto the people I care about. It felt like I could goof off and while I went way too far with that and people paid the price. Aegis was always there to help me out no matter how many times I've faltered. So, I thought of Aegis, to symbolize his will to protect the ones he loves,' Tyler explained before climbing on Aegis' back with a grin, "Besides, he's definitely big enough to be a tank! Definitely could be a living shield against whatever comes his way!"
"Oh, not alone I'm not!" Aegis butted in as he shifted Tyler to in front of him, "You give me the chance to see more of the world, to be able to even move and talk how I want to. You let me be more than just Captain Foxy… I can relax around you and feel like I'm not scared of letting people down or terrifying them. You keep me grounded, so I always know why I'm running, so I know what I'm protecting. So don't sell yourself short there, Tyler!" Aegis grinned as the two looked towards Mom.
She was smiling wholeheartedly towards the two, "No wonder you two did as well as you did with your bond being as strong as it was. She was right to trust you."
"So, Mom. I've been wondering," Tyler asked suddenly, the pictures in his room coming to mind and knowing he wouldn't be getting an answer of who 'She' was in this case. Mom looked towards him, "Given that I bonded with Aegis here, Kyle bonded with Charlie and…well, we'll meet him later today. Did you and Dad ever bond with any of the animatronics? I noticed a…weird black puppet one that seemed to follow Dad around in the picture in my room, as well as…a dream memory that I had after waking up where he saved me when I was terrified of Toy Bonnie, but I never noticed any that would bond with you."
Mom merely kept that smile before patting his head, "I'm honestly surprised you remember that far back, you were only a kid; although, it might have been that She wanted to help answer a question of yours. You asked why you were smiling that day, so She showed you why. I think that should answer your question." Mom winked as Tyler's eyes widened.
"You're…not implying…right?"
"She heard you that day, and you brought up valid points. In a way, you were the only one that could have gone in, but She wanted to have Kyle go in order to help Charlie through her pain. Then again, She knew that it wouldn't have helped nearly as much as it helped you two. She was always worried for you both, not sure what to do to help out, but…you volunteered." Mom shrugged as Tyler blinked again.
"Okay, I need us to slow down and maybe back up a little bit, because you're making me ask stupid questions," Tyler admitted with the universal sign language for stop or high five, "Are you the Host of the Building?" Tyler asked bluntly, much to Mom's amusement.
"She's a clever one, I'm just sorry that I didn't notice the signs to help you sooner." Mom said instead as Tyler treated that as the closest he was going to get to a yes or no. Bloody cryptic mothers. Tyler couldn't help but think given how confused he was throughout the conversation. Then again, he thought that Henrick probably felt like this before.
"Alright…so why did you seem so confused as to what we were doing before…well…" Tyler trailed off before just waving at her as if displaying her as a prize or trophy.
"You know how your bond works, right?" Tyler and Aegis nodded, "My bond with Her is a lot more….passive. I don't really get to talk to Her the same way you all can with your pairs, and Her influence is limited. Given what happened to Tommy…well, I was heartbroken and just couldn't beat heading back to see Her afterwards given there was nothing we could have done about it. I didn't even know where Tommy was placed, and when I found out…"
Tyler couldn't hold back the flinch and shiver that statement caused. Scratching his left hand and unable to look up, "Sorry." He muttered as he felt Mom raising his head.
"It was like how it was for you - a reality check. Now…I feel like I'm back with an old friend and we're just gossiping and catching up on what we've missed in the world. I…think I see what you mean now about what happened to Tommy." She shivered as Tyler and Aegis shared a glance.
"You okay?" Tyler asked, watching Mom nod with a light smile, "We can always head out if you want." Tyler suggested as Mom shook her head.
"Thank you, Tyler, but I'm okay. So, Aegis, got any embarrassing stories?" Mom grinned mischievously as Tyler stared pointedly at his friend and mouthed 'Pizza Sauce'. Aegis froze at the sight before laughing nervously and shaking his head, "I guess that Tyler has a bad one on you." Mom simply shrugged while Tyler smiled innocently.
He had forgotten something very important however as he heard a certain story beginning to be told from his mother before coughing pointedly and doing his best to drag his mom away from his friend. Nope, no one needed to hear the story of what happened with him and strawberry jam, way too embarrassing, "Nope, nope, nope! Moving on! Let's continue on the tour! See you later, Aegis!" Tyler said with finality as Aegis waved goodbye cheerfully.
"So, what's next on the tour?" Tyler thought about it for a moment before looking towards the office.
"Let's go bug my little brother- Let's go say hi to Kyle nicely," Tyler said after a second of panic. Not again, he's not that guy anymore. He continued on to the main office after a second of delay before turning back to his mom, "This is the main office for the security guards. We usually are supposed to use this for night shift purposes, but we kinda just clean and play card games during the night, so we just use it as a giant janitorial closet for the most part. Watch your step." Tyler instructed before knocking on the closed door. He was tempted to make a bad joke before closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing a bit.
He opened them when the door rose with a loud clanging sound, "Yeah, Tyler?" Kyle asked, not looking away from the security cameras. Tyler raised an eyebrow before looking towards Mom.
"Anything happening?" Tyler asked.
"Well…" Kyle hesitated with his question, "I'm not sure, something weird seems to be happening in the kitchen, but I can't tell. Can you go check it out?" Kyle asked as Tyler nodded before looking towards Mom.
"You stay here, just in case, okay?" Tyler asked before walking away, knowing the route to the kitchen a bit too well. Kyle seemed distracted massively, so Tyler figured that something was going on, but merely decided to be on guard as he continued down the main stage floor before going through an Employee's Only door and continuing down the hallway towards the kitchen.
"...What do you mean…!?"
"...Blaming me!? I…"
Tyler faintly heard as he walked steadily towards the kitchen. The arguing soon was easier to hear as Tyler winced as a loud clang rang out when he was right in front of the kitchen door. Hesitantly, Tyler slowly opened the kitchen door only to immediately slam it back shut when something started flying at the door.
"Someone's there?" Tyler heard Cassandra ask in panic.
"What the hell is going on in there!?" Tyler shouted as he heard scrambling around the kitchen before opening the kitchen door just to get a faceful of pizza thrown at his face. He…wasn't going to get mad even with the sauce that was going down his face or the snickers. He was turning a new leaf, being a better person.
The blob of pizza eventually fell off his face as Tyler just stood there looking at Cassandra and Henrick before walking away without a word. Just stay calm, just stay calm. Don't think of the bad actions you want to do to them… Tyler ignored the desperate yells of Henrick and Cassandra as he walked away to wash up in the bathroom and hopefully get the pizza stains out of his uniform. Least he could no longer bully Aegis about pizza sauce stains and they can share in the misery of the drippy red. Tyler turned left as he followed the employee's path in order to avoid customers from noticing his messy uniform.
The area was still narrow and barely lit, but it was enough for Tyler given the fact he was struggling to control himself, despite knowing that it wasn't going to be easy. After squeezing through a narrow pathway into the bathroom, Tyler turned on the sink to wash the stains off his hat if nothing else. He couldn't do anything about the shirt, and the pants didn't get hit outside of anything that jumped up when the pizza fell to the ground,
Taking a deep breath, Tyler poured the water onto the hat before putting his hair under the water in order to clear anything that leaked through as best he could before using a paper towel to clean up. Thankfully, the company wasn't against the safety routines that Kyle was bringing in given how successful they've been with making money since it was the only reason Tyler felt sane enough to try this. After scrubbing it away as best he could, he wiped the noticeable stains on his uniform with another paper towel before heading out of the bathroom with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Doing his best to ignore the thoughts of vengeance that were trying to pollute his mind in favor of not being like he used to be, Tyler merely said that it was stains from the battle of meatball valley whenever kids wondered why there were stains on his uniform while keeping watch of anything bad happening.
It took hours before it was starting to be closing time, with Tyler not having talked to his family members in the meantime. He noticed Tommy's gaze now and again, but he still seemed to be rightfully irritated at how Tyler's been acting lately…at least, before the reality check that whatever that black wisp gave him about it all. Tyler didn't bother complaining, merely taking it on the chin the best he could and drowning the anger away behind a bright smile whenever he was asked to lead someone to somewhere in the place.
He didn't go to the kitchen when it was lunch and was avoiding it when it was towards supper, merely distracting himself by helping around the place, or cleaning up around the main party hall whenever possible. The gazes were distracting, but not enough so that ignoring it was impossible. He merely carried on, trying his best to ignore the pity and confusion that lined many of the people staring at him.
"Are you going to eat?" Tyler looked up from a really tough pizza stain left on one of the tables to see Tommy in front of him, "Here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria, you should try out the pizza and enjoy yourself!" Tommy recited one of his lines as Tyler shrugged.
"I'm good, I ate earlier." Tyler technically told the truth given that he had breakfast before they had left the hospital, but Tommy didn't look impressed. Yet, despite the annoyance written on Tommy's face, there really wasn't much he could do as Freddy here.
"Alrighty then, just know that food is ready anytime. Have a wonderful day here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria!" Tommy walked back on the stage as Tyler continued cleaning without another care in the world. It was relaxing despite the awkward feeling caused by the gazes, pointing and whispering. Tyler felt like he was on a stage he wasn't able to get off of unprepared, and was too used to it at- he shook himself off that line of thought. He needed to avoid his apathy, not lead himself down into it again. He had a right to be pissed at Cassandra and Henrick's immaturity causing this whole situation to happen and it was okay to feel uneasy with everyone staring at him.
"So don't feel like you have to be perfect, damn it. No one is and I've never once thought of you as perfect." Kyle's words rang in Tyler's head again as he smiled along to Tommy singing the original theme of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. You would think they would have the mascot brand animatronic sing it on the anniversary, but the company was instead deciding to have Cassandra lead the anniversary song as a way to celebrate a new year with all three of them leading or something like that. Tyler didn't really know why corporate was doing that, but he liked Tommy's rendition of the song more than Henrick's if only out of familial bias. It just felt a bit more homey to him as he continued cleaning the empty tables while the customers waited on their food.
He didn't really notice someone walking up to him until he was tapped on the shoulder. Looking up towards the voice, Tyler smiled, "Hey A-Foxy, what's up?" Tyler was surprised that he was already more used to calling his friend Aegis rather than Foxy at this point, but couldn't find any real problem with that. Aegis was Aegis, even if they had to hide his name for now.
"Not much, Private Tyler. So…what happened to you?" Aegis raised an eyebrow when looking at the stains on his shirt.
Tyler's eye twitched as his smile became strained, "Our good friend, Chica, decided that a food-fight in the kitchen with Bonnie was a great idea. I made the mistake of opening the door to see what was going on." Tyler spat out with more vitriol than he thought he felt. Aegis sighed.
"Yeah…that sounds about right…" Aegis muttered with more than a small amount of annoyance as he looked towards Tyler, "I take it you're not wanting pizza right now?" Tyler nodded.
"Not really in the mood after getting it thrown at my face, no." Tyler said simply, "Was thinking of just getting something when I got home or something similar, I..just don't want pizza right now." Tyler admitted with a bit of a frown. Aegis smiled knowingly.
"I figured that was the case actually, and I don't think I was the only one. Head over to the main office, okay?" Aegis explained before waving goodbye. Tyler waved back with a smile as he looked towards the rest of the floor, seeing them all paying apt attention to the show from the three animatronics still, he smiled at Tommy, but that smile strained a bit when he saw Cassandra and Henrick before Tyler stretched and started heading towards the main office.
As soon as he was near the opened main office, the sweet smell of mac and cheese filled Tyler's nostrils as he walked inside to see a bowl of one of his favorite meals next to Kyle, their mom, and one out that was probably, hopefully, for himself. After the two looked at him and handed him a spoon, he grinned as he began eating eagerly.
"Sorry that I told you about that, I just didn't know what the noise in the room was until I saw you get out of the bathroom." Kyle apologized midway through one of his bites as Tyler waited until he was done with one of his own to look his way.
"You didn't know that they were acting like idiots. Not your fault." Tyler said before getting right back into eating his mac and cheese. Tyler heard the light chuckles from Mom behind him, but the three simply enjoyed their meal in the glorified janitorial closet while keeping watch of the cameras for going wrong. Tyler didn't expect much, but his eyes narrowed on cam 5, the only one keeping watch on the now-lit Parts and Services. At first, it was just a glance of movement of the shadows, but Tyler was soon getting up as he looked closer before his eyes widened. Oh, fuck no.
"Someone's in Parts and Services, Kyle, you g-"
"On it!" Kyle interrupted as the two headed out different doors in a hurry towards Parts and Services. That switch never was turned back on, and the doors were currently open, but that didn't mean it was safe. Tyler still remembered the skin peeling off of Kyle's hand from just how old the equipment was and it was only in retrospect that he realized how lucky Kyle was that it wasn't rusted. While the place was a lot more safe, with parts actually being put up and animatronic suits being a lot more hidden away for everyone's safety, it was still off limits for multiple reasons.
It didn't take long as the partygoers were all busyTyler was the first one to pass through the main party room and enter Parts and Service, with Kyle right behind him as the two entered the room with the knowledge they weren't the only ones in there. Closing the door behind them, Tyler was the one that walked towards the switch.
"Who's in here?" Tyler asked as he looked around the room, "You didn't really hide well from the camera, so we know you're here and we're not mad at you. This just isn't a safe area to be in, especially for children." Tyler continued as Kyle motioned towards Tyler's right. Looking around that way, he saw a blond tuff of hair being just above the hiding place.
Now what? We can't call the kld out despite knowing they're there. There might be others hiding here and the kid is way too close to one of the endoskeletons for comfort here, Tyler couldn't help but think to himself. He sighed, Then again, I only know of three kids that would break the policy about staying away from the Employees only rooms, and only one of those kids have blond hair…
Tyler was about to call out to the kids before hesitating when he saw the fearful shiver of the blond tuff. You did this. Your fault, your fault, your fault. Tyler barely registered the world as he could feel more than see the intense shivering of the three kids and the silent prayers they had that he would just leave them be, to not go through what happened just a week ago. He…Tyler bit his tongue as he lowered the hand that he only now realized was heading over to where the three were in a desperate prayer of some type of his own before walking out of the room without another word.
Kyle looked confused, but Tyler merely shook his head. He had to feel, even if it was this awful wrenching of his gut and heart. At least it was something. He knew that he had messed up before…but he didn't know how badly it had affected them until seeing them in there. Hopefully, Kyle would be able to help them out, they were probably just scared of Tyler and…hopefully not of Kyle. He was always the one that could take a situation and fix it, even when they were younger.
Tyler chuckled softly to himself before sighing and looking towards the stage again. The crew were still up on the stage singing as Charlie wandered around to get everyone's orders. Some of the adults were unnerved by the animatronic, but the kids adored her as she would always stop to tell some story about what one of them would do. Tyler winced when he heard one of the stories being when Cassandra and Henrick were arguing in the kitchen before the argument turned into a full on food fight that ended when Tyler walked in on it.
The laughter from the children when Charlie described how the pizza flopped off of Tyler really didn't help his mood as he nearly walked away before hearing Charlie scold them for that, "That employee is the one that's been helping you out every day and he's the one that keeps you all safe. Not even just that, but he was checking to make sure no one was getting hurt. How would you feel if that happened to you and others were laughing at you about it?" Charlie asked while Tyler made sure not to acknowledge the gazes he could feel on himself.
Tyler wanted to hide away as he heard some of the kids starting to tell him sorry, to tell them that it wasn't really needed since it would have been funny if it hadn't been him, but couldn't bring himself to say anything other than giving a gentle smile, "Well, it's almost closing time, so I'm going to go and make your pizzas! Thank you for having a great day here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria!" Charlie took mercy on Tyler by getting the attention back before the company mandated line was said. Charlie waved to the children before heading back into the kitchen as Tyler continued watching over the kids.
It was peaceful aside from the constant worry given Kyle wasn't back with the trio of kids yet, but there wasn't anything that could be done about it. Tyler made his bed, now it was time to lay in it so to speak. He tried doing things to get his mind off of it, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't losing it just a tiny bit. He kept the facade up throughout the four nights, but…
Tyler would be lying if he said that he wasn't doubting himself at all. Aegis said that Tyler grounded the pair, that he taught him what he was to protect, but…Tyler wanted someone that he could fight alongside, that he could help out. He didn't want to feel like he was being protected from the world and unable to do anything like a npc escort mission! He…he wanted to do something to help out, yet… Tyler sighed again as he was debating grabbing a mop or something to do some cleaning to take his mind off of his stupid thoughts or something. He knew he shouldn't feel like this, Aegis meant well and the two could feel each other's feelings.
Which is how Tyler knew that Aegis was feeling worried, and wasn't sure how to help him out, yet that ironically was the problem to begin with given that Tyler didn't know how to be able to help Aegis out. He wanted to do something, yet throughout the nights, Tyler was always the damsel in distress and barely able to handle just one of the animatronics. It hurt so, so much to think back to Aegis' reaction to seeing Tyler defend himself from that Nightmare version of Mangle, because Tyler knew he was imagining if Tyler did that to him, how it would hurt his friend.
Tyler felt like his heart was breaking, but he didn't know what else to do to get out of his own brain. He simply shook his head before taking a deep breath. Distractions, he needed distractions, something to keep his brain off the worry and the toxicity of his own fears. But…wasn't avoiding the problems how I got here to begin with? I don't…I'm not like how I was…but I'm going nowhere like this… Tyler struggled with himself as he looked towards the kids starting to head out with a surprised blink.
How…how long has he just been standing there like a statue? Tyler started helping the employees, who merely looked at him a bit strangely when he came back into focus, with escorting the customers out before looking for Kyle and the others. He gave them enough time, and was honestly scared given it was closing time and the parents were getting noticeably worried.
"-That's how…" Kyle was saying something that Tyler didn't quite catch as Tyler reached for the door to stop dead in his tracks from hearing the kids honestly enjoying themselves. His hand slacked as he instead turned back towards the parents.
"I think your kids are in there where they aren't supposed to be, can I trouble you in talking to them about it? I don't think they would be…happy to see me." Tyler asked with only a small amount of hesitation. The parents looked at each other before nodding as Tyler led them to the Parts and Services room and opened the door, making sure to back away from the entrance as the parents kept the kids' attention.
Tyler took a deep breath as he realized it was probably only about 10pm, the evening guard would be heading out a bit early given Kyle and Tyler would take over and start up cleaning by covering the rest of his shift. The dude looked honestly grateful for that and Tyler couldn't bring himself to care at all. Shaking away the thoughts with stable breathing, he started heading down towards the Main Office to grab some cleaning supplies to freeze up a bit at a shadow on the wall.
Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he opened them up again to notice the shadow was gone. Continuing on towards the room, he walked in to see his Mom watching on the cameras looking bored out of her mind, "Hey, Tyler, all the kids get out okay?"
Tyler took a moment before nodding his head, grateful by her not prying into the painfully obvious way that he was motionless for god knows how long, "Yeah, a couple of kids had gotten into the Parts and Services room, but I figured Kyle was a better fit to handle them."
"I saw, so…want to talk about it?" Mom said with a glance his way.
Not at all. Tyler's thought immediately with prejudice behind it. He really didn't want to talk about it, but knew that he would have to eventually. The thing was…he really didn't want to open that can of worms, "Maybe later," Tyler said with a strained smile a little too quickly, "Given that it's after hours…I think there's some people that we should introduce you to." Mom raised an eyebrow with how badly Tyler avoided the question, but he merely continued looking at her while waiting for an answer.
"Well…let's see if you were lying or not." Mom said with no small amount of resignation in her tone as Tyler simply led the way to the main party room.
"Alright, then…let's get the introductions under way." Tyler gulped while looking at the three animatronics that tried too hard in looking like still animatronics before looking specifically at his brother, "Mom, this is…Tommy," Tyler introduced as if there was a rock in his throat before moving his other hand towards the Bonnie animatronic, "This is Henrick," then moved his hand towards the Chica animatronic, "And this is Cassandra. Guys…say hello to my mom, Maria."
The three glanced at each in obvious panic as Mom merely stared with a welcoming smile of her own that held way too much pain to be less than doubtful over this working, but Tommy was the first to move forward with a meek wave that made the animatronic Freddy look too life-like for Tyler's sake, "H-Hey, Mom…"
The voice was undeniable and Tyler saw the moment that Mom's eyes widened with tears fraying on the seams. Tommy looked panicked and was about to try to calm her down, but she merely walked up towards the lip of the stage staring up at him, "T-Tommy?"
"Yeah, Mom?" Tommy answered while leaning and reaching a hand to help her up to the stage, "I'm…I'm sorry that I pushed Kyle to take me back there…I missed you so much!" Tommy wailed without a second thought before hugging her, with Cassandra and Henrick having to ease the pressure so Mom didn't get hurt from the strength that was no doubt in that hug.
"T-Tommy…" Mom said nothing more than calling out his name as Tyler merely watched with a face that was probably full of regret. Kyle walked up to his right with a guilty wince while Aegis snuck up to Tyler's left.
"Now then, Laddie…What's been eating away at ye?" Aegis slipped back into his accent with a look too serious for Tyler to stare at. Tyler merely pursed his lips as he continued looking downward, "I'm not mad at you, you know that. I'm just worried," Aegis continued on without the pirate accent, forcing Tyler to look at him with his paw, "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
Tyler didn't know why the world started to blur, but he knew that he didn't know, "I-I…I'm not okay, I'm not." Tyler cried out as he shoved his head into Aegis' comforting fur, that sense of protectiveness that Tyler both craved and despised. That sense of safety that saved him and made him feel guilty to even have. The conflict of Tyler's heart warred on inside him as he barely registered the world around him and Aegis.
All he knew was that he didn't know if he was going to be okay. He was trying so, so hard, but it was one thing to try and another thing to keep going. A single day was all it took to crumble the small sand castle that Tyler made against the tidal wave of his doubts and fears. He just wanted to help, but how? How was even a good Host to Aegis when he was the reason it took them ages to even hit that state of Unity? When he was constantly running from how he feels?
"Because you're also the reason I know not to run away," Aegis said suddenly, causing Tyler to look up at Aegis' knowing face, "I…I'm more like you then you realize, Tyler. I used to run away from all my problems, all my insecurities by just obeying my programming and trying to ignore the blood that stained me hands. You taught me that there are things that I can't run from, for others are suffering for that too. You say you don't help me, but…your presence alone is enough to help me. You're not like me, Tyler, you're not a superhero or animatronic that can run in large strides or 7 feet tall or made of steel. You're you, a human part of a family that's gone through way too much by the hands of someone that took a bond too seriously. I'm…I'm sorry if I made you feel like I was giving and you were doing nothing to give back, but it's more that… You give back in different ways then you wish to help out by."
"I…I just…"
"I know, Tyler, I know too well how that feeling of helplessness can feel like, but you are doing so, so much more than enough for me. I honestly feel the same way in regards to what I do to help you out. All I can do is hug you and try and fight back the physical threats that try to take you down…but what you're going through is something that I can't fight and…I feel just as helpless trying to help you out." Aegis admitted as Tyler felt the indignant shouts die before they left his mouth.
"God…we're awful for each other." Tyler croaked out in an awful joke that both of them grimaced at.
"You're not wrong about that…" Aegis muttered, "But I think we're also the best for each other too. You don't hesitate to cry with me unlike with your family, you don't hide yourself and I let you be free while you allow me to feel like I'm able to be able to live, to see how parents are with their kids and to not feel like I'm risking going out of control with my programming again…we help each other feel alive and be ourselves… Isn't that enough?" Aegis whispered as Tyler nodded into his fur.
"Yeah…I think that is." Tyler mumbled before chuckling at a thought Aegis thought up.
I swear if we have to break down and cry just to have normal conversations, I'm going to have permanent tear stains on my chest…
Hey, least you would be blue instead of red, you would be able to match your captain outfit! Tyler couldn't help but think back before laughing when he heard Aegis' insulted scoff.
"How dare you, you little scamp!" Aegis said aloud as Tyler grinned.
"It would be true!"
"That is so not the point!" Aegis shouted indignantly before they shared a hearty laugh at the situation. Through it all, Tyler found himself relaxing in Aegis' chest again. Tyler didn't have to lie to himself, to act like he was the one in control anymore. He didn't have to lock those fears inside for the sake of his family, he could just...be when with Aegis. It was a good feeling, to not be weighed down by that guilt, doubt and fear.
"I wanna keep you…" Tyler mumbled into the fur sleepily, the lack of sleep over the last few days and the stress of it all catching up to him as he yawned into Aegis' fur without a care about whatever was happening around them.
"Don't worry, Tyler, I'm all yours. I'll be right here." Aegis answered back warmly. Tyler smiled as his eyes drooped closed in the first dreamless night in almost two weeks. No monsters, no memories of the past, just a feeling of all being right in the world and that he was safe, that he was home.