Work Text:
Bryan screamed as he ran from Tyler. Tyler was in pursuit of Bryan, wielding his katana. "Get back here!" Tyler shouted. Bryan turned his head towards him to see how far Tyler was from him. He tripped over a rock and fell, bashing his knee against the rocky floor of the cave. He winced through his teeth and tried getting up and limping away. It didn't take long for Tyler to catch up to him. He tackled Bryan to the ground. They got into a tussle. Bryan's injured knee made it hard for him to fight off Tyler even though he had a larger build. Tyler kicked his bad knee and rolled on top of him. Bryan winced and glared up at him. Tyler stared down at him with an evil grin and wide, crazy eyes. He started laughing as he raised the tip of the blade over Bryan's chest. Bryan tried protecting his chest with his arms but it was no use. "Please! Don't do this!" Bryan cried out. Tyler stared down at him with bloodlust in his eyes. "Welcome to Manny's, bitch." Tyler said coldly as he plunged the katana into Bryan's chest. Bryan screamed as he felt the cold metal pierce through his skin.
As Bryan screamed, Tyler screamed and fell out of bed. He panted and quickly got up, feeling his chest and stomach. His head darted back and forth as he looked around his room. He shook his head and stared down at his hands. The moonlight was the only light shining into his room. He fell to his knees and shoved his face into his hands. Bryan kicked the door open and ran in, flipping the light on. He was breathing heavily from running to Tyler's room. "Ty, what's wrong?!" Bryan asked. Tyler didn't answer, he just sobbed into his hands. Bryan bit his lip and approached him slowly so as to not startle him. He put a gentle hand on Tyler's shoulder. "Tyler, what's wrong?" Tyler looked up at him. Bryan had a concerned look on his face. "I-it's nothing." Tyler said in a meek and shaky voice.
Bryan smiled softly at him. He held his hand out towards him. Tyler looked at it and hesitantly grabbed it. Bryan pulled Tyler to his feet. "Follow me." Bryan said as he started walking out of the room, holding Tyler's hand. Tyler was confused but followed him. Tyler followed Bryan downstairs. Bryan walked over to the couch and pointed at it. Tyler sat down and looked up at him. "I'll be right back." Bryan said as he started walking to the kitchen. Tyler raised a confused eyebrow as he heard Bryan messing around with pots and pans. Bryan grabbed a pot and put it on the stove and turned the stove on. He poured milk into the pot. While the milk heated up, he walked to the cupboard and opened it. He dug around for a specific item. He smiled as he found a bag of hot coco and grabbed a mug from the other cupboard. He dumped the powder into the mug. He waited a couple minutes for the milk to boil. Tyler sighed with a shaky breath as he pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. When the milk started boiling, Bryan turned the stove off and dumped it in the mug. He grabbed a spoon from the drawer and stirred the coco and milk together. He walked out of the kitchen and walked to Tyler with the mug. Tyler looked up when he heard Bryan approaching. He grabbed the mug from Bryan and stared into it. Bryan sat down next to him.
Bryan smiled warmly at Tyler as he watched him blow on the mug before taking a small sip. He closed his eyes and relaxed a little. He focused on the warm chocolatey liquid running down his throat. He let his nose fill with the smell of warm, creamy, chocolate. He opened his eyes and stared down at the mug again. He brought the rim to his mouth and tilted the mug. He chugged all of it. After he finished, Bryan put a hand on his shoulder. "Please, tell me what happened. I'm worried." Bryan begged. Tyler turned his head to look at Bryan. Tyler inhaled deeply and exhaled before talking. "I had a dream...a nightmare." Bryan listened intensely. "I-I was chasing you with my katana. You fell and tried getting away but I caught up." Tyler shook his head and turned away, avoiding eye contact. He was too ashamed to face Bryan. "We fought but I managed to get you under me. You begged for your life as I plunged the katana into your chest. I was enjoying every second of it..." Tears started rolling down his cheeks as he recounted the nightmare. He shook his head as he covered his face with his hands again. "I'm so sorry, Bryan. I'm sorry for everything. It's all my fault."
Bryan shook his head and put a hand on his back. "It's not your fault, Tyler. It was never your fault. You were as much a victim as I was. Don't let some nightmare cloud your thoughts with guilt. You helped me escape and now we're both here, going to concerts together. Doesn't that count for something?" Bryan asked. Tyler shook his head and stared down at the empty mug. “Bryan, I’ve done so much horrible shit. I’m a monster. I’m no different from the maneater!.” Tyler said. “That’s not true at all. Tyler, you’re not a monster. You never were a monster. You aren’t guilty of anything.” Bryan said. Tyler whipped his head towards Bryan and jumped to his feet. His face was bright red as tears fell down his face. “I tried to murder you, Bryan! I made you and Mr. Petrovsky fight each other for fucking food! I’m a horrible human!” Tyler shouted. “All for a fucking minimum wage job! I did all of that!” Tyler broke down crying. Bryan shook his head and stood up. He pulled Tyler into his arms and hugged him tightly, resting his head on Tyler’s shoulder. He rubbed Tyler’s back to soothe him. “Tyler…” Bryan spoke to him with a calming voice. “You aren’t a monster. You aren’t a horrible person. We both were pushed to such extremes. We were desperate. I’m happy you’re my best friend. Seriously, I could never blame you for what happened. I love you, Tyler. I love you so fucking much, I can’t even put it into words. You didn’t deserve to go through what you went through for those past 8 months. Neither of us did. Tyler, I’m happy I have you by my side.” Tyler’s legs shook and his lips quivered as he sobbed into Bryan’s shoulder. “I love you too, man! I really do!” Tyler cried out. Bryan smiled as tears started dripping down his face. They stayed in each other’s embrace until Tyler started calming down and his sobs started quieting.
Bryan pulled Tyler back and looked at him with a proud smile on his face. “Are you feeling better?” Bryan asked. Tyler sniffled and wiped his tears away as he cracked a small smile. “Y-yeah, I’m feeling better. Thank you, Bryan. I really needed that.” Tyler chuckled. “God, I’m such a mess. Can’t believe I let a stupid nightmare get to me like that.” Tyler laughed. Bryan laughed too. “I’m just happy you’re feeling better. Do you think you’ll be able to go back to sleep?” Bryan asked. Another blush spread across Tyler’s face. “It’d bring me comfort and a piece of mind if you stayed with me.” Bryan’s eyes widened and a small blush spread across his face as he nodded. “Anything to make you feel better, Tyler. Let’s go to your room.” Bryan slid his hand into Tyler’s hand. They walked back to Tyler’s room and went in. They climbed into bed and got under the blankets. Tyler stared at the ceiling as he listened to the quiet breathing of his bedmate. Tyler glanced at Bryan before closing his eyes, finally feeling at peace. It didn’t take him long to fall back asleep.