"I'm holding on so tightly now
My insides scream so loudThey keep watching, watching me drownHow did it come to this?"~ Sell Your Soul by Hollywood Undead
Heaving a sigh, Vanessa glared sternly at the kid squirming in front of her. The little brat wouldn't sit still as she tried to fix up his arm; pouring more water over it, the boy hissed through his teeth and jerked away. Thoroughly put out, Vanessa sat back.
"Kid I can't help you if you keep moving around like that. You need to sit still."
Huffing, the boy glared at her, lip jutting out in a pout. "You try to sit still when you have big ass scratches on your arm!"
Grinding the heel of her palm into her forehead, Vanessa bit her lip. The kid was right, and it wasn't his fault that her patience was in short supply at the moment. Nothing seemed to want to go right on this Godforsaken night. Freddy had shoved the kid into a charging tube at the last moment before being knocked unconscious by the Daycare Attendant.
Now neither of them knew where he was and couldn't even get into Parts and Service. Then both of them had the shit scared out of them by a map bot. Meeting the little boy's eyes again, Vanessa breathed out a sigh. Holding her hand out, she waited for him to move closer so she could resume tending to his arm.
"First off, language; kid like you shouldn't be going around cursing."
She saw the way the kid rolled his eyes and knew it was going to be a losing battle; he'd probably still curse and there was really nothing she could do to stop him. At least Freddy couldn't accuse her of not trying.
Not that the bear would.
Maybe...he could be kind of tightwad when it came to cursing. Especially from kids or in front of them. He'd probably give her that stern, disappointed dad look and then she'd end up feeling kinda, sorta guilty that she somehow didn't do more. How he managed the look so perfectly was beyond her, but she'd seen it aimed at more than one child and animatronic.
Shaking the thoughts from her head, Vanessa ripped open a few alcohol wipes. Yeah, she really needed to focus and stop getting caught up in inane thoughts. Unfolding and setting them aside, she took a moment to really look at the kid's wound. The lines weren't clean cuts, more like tears, but they didn't seem all that deep. They probably could use stitches, but all she had were some butterfly ones.
They'd do at the moment.
Steadying the boy's arm, Vanessa felt a twinge of sympathy for what she had to do next, "Sorry kid, this is gonna sting. Just stay as still as you can, then we can finish up here." The boy grimaced, before his face went scarily blank; the kid was tough, she'd give him that.
As gently as she could, the guard gently laid one of the wipes over the wound and pressed down. She had tried to flush it out with the water before, but she didn't want to take any chances with possible infection. The boy's fist turned white from how hard he was twisting it into his shorts, but he didn't make a sound.
Removing the first wipe, she tossed it beside her on the table and began to dab at the skin around the wounds, getting them as clean as possible. Once that was done, she took the final two and cleaned the actual wounds themselves.
Kid stayed still for a good amount of time before he started wiggling again. Letting him go, the woman glanced at his face; the young boy's eyes had a glossy sheen to them. Sympathetic, the woman patted his knee, "Worst parts over kid, you did good. Now...I know you said someone took Freddy, but I need a little more info on that," Vanessa paused for a second before amending, "And your name. Can't keep calling you kid all the time."
She could almost see the gears turning in his head as he debated on answering her. Vanessa couldn't exactly blame him for not trusting her; she was a stranger who'd been trying to catch him all night. And he'd been terrorized all night by the other animatronics and possibly the woman in the bunny suit.
So...she got it. She really did.
It would just make things a ton easier if she knew his name and what happened.
Deciding to be patient as the silence stretched on, Vanessa got to work on using the butterfly stitches to semi-close the worst of the scratches. The wound wasn't actively bleeding any longer and by the time she was done, she could say she was sort of proud of herself.
Ripping open a pack of sterile gauze, she waited for the kid to give her permission to start wrapping his arm. It was pretty high up and it was hard to get it secure when the boy refused to remove his shirt part way so she could wrap it around his torso as well.
She did the best she could, and the end result didn't look too bad. At least the wound and bandages were clean. The boy was still silent as he examined his arm and Vanessa decided to just leave it at that point.
Grabbing up the trash the woman tossed it into one of the themed garbage cans and replaced the first aid kit to its proper place. Little sneakers hitting the ground let her know the boy had gotten up and when she turned back to him, she saw him examining her work.
As if feeling her eyes on him, his own snapped up. For a moment they just stared at each other, before the kid scuffed the ground with a sneaker. Looking down, the boy spoke stiltedly, "I..it feels better," Glancing back up, he added, "And cleaner. So, uh, thanks."
Flicking his gaze back down, Vanessa opened her mouth to give some sort of reply. The boy had other plans because he bulldozed on, words tumbling out in a rush, "I'm...Gregory. And the stupid Moon guy took Freddy!"
Glaring at the ground, Gregory took a deep breath, "Freddy just...he focused on me so much that he didn't even fight back! They knocked him out and now I don't know where he's at or what to do!" By this point, the boy's hands had flown up to his hair and started tugging.
Concerned, Vanessa hesitantly crouched down to the child's level. For the first time since she'd found him by the Parts and Service doors, he looked close to tears. Sighing softly, the guard leveled a serious look at him.
"I'm gonna be real with you kid, I can't get into Parts and Service right now. For whatever reason, my badge isn't working. I...don't know where else Moondrop would have taken him." Vanessa thought for a moment before muttering to herself, "Moon wouldn't hurt him. I think."
The tugging hands in Gregory's hair stopped and fell to his sides, twisting the bottom of his shirt instead. Glancing to the side, the boy's voice was soft as he spoke, "Can we get into there another way? Just to check?"
There was so much hope placed into his question and Vanessa felt her heart crack. Grunting, she pushed herself back up to her feet and thought. She may not be able to use her badge, but hers wasn't the only one, was it?
Maybe the only one that had unrestricted access to most areas.
But it wasn't the only badge.
All they needed to do was find one that had a high enough clearance to open those doors.
Nodding to herself, Vanessa smacked her fist in her other hand in a sort of 'ah-ha' moment. Confused, Gregory tilted his head to the side. Gesturing for him to follow her, she led them through one of the rolling doors she'd come through earlier.
"So...I'm pretty sure we can get into Parts and Service by getting another badge with high enough clearance. I know where we can get one, but...it's in an area that doesn't see much use anymore."
Suspiciously, Gregory glared at her back as he followed her. He still didn't trust her but again, his situation was one where he had no choice. Freddy could be hurt and if he kept dawdling, he may lose the bear forever.
So, he may as well follow the blonde; if she tried anything he'd be ready. The screwdriver in his pocket felt heavy and he hoped he didn't have to use it. Again. Contrary to whatever the system and foster families thought, he wasn't a violent kid by nature.
He was a survivor.
He didn't hurt people for fun.
He never wanted to hurt anyone at all.
So, he really hoped that Vanessa didn't give him a reason to.
But if she did...he was prepared.
The area she led them through was dimly lit with junk strewn everywhere. Once through that room, they were in a long hallway with more stuff piled near the sides. Vanessa clicked her flashlight on as the light dimmed. Yet again the beam caught on the random endo that was just standing there.
Gregory couldn't help but stop and stare at it for a moment as Vanessa skirted around it; the thing was far creepier than it had any right to be. Shuddering, the boy turned away and hurried to catch up with the guard. He didn't want to stare into those dead eyes any longer.
A soft whirring and the sound of rapid tap-tap-taps brought them both up short. Whipping around, Vanessa's flashlight caught the endo with its arms outstretched and far closer than before. Squeaking, Gregory threw himself backward to duck behind the woman's legs.
"What the hell is that!?"
Freaked out herself, the blonde quickly flicked the flashlight off and nearly squealed when the thing started moving towards them again. Thumb pressing the button instantly, the thing froze once more, mouth agape.
Pushing one hand behind her, Vanessa and Gregory backed down the hall until they met a dead end. Glancing around, the guard realized that the chain-link fence behind her held no door to flee through.
Scowling to herself, she stared down the hall trying to figure out what to do. A clatter to her right made her jump; Gregory was halfway in a vent that's cover was nowhere to be found. Turning around and looking at her, the boy had the nerve to flash a quick grin before scrambling deeper in.
Cursing, Vanessa hauled ass after him and followed. The kid moved through the vents quickly and silently; in a way it would have been impressive if the guard wasn't so focused on trying not to freak out. The vent was large enough that Gregory moved through it crouched, but Vanessa had to crawl.
Which meant she was on her hands and knees crawling through God knows what. Every unknown piece of debris was one step closer to her losing her absolute shit. Who the hell decided it'd be a good idea to forego the annual maintenance on the ventilation system? Whoever it was, Vanessa had some words for them.
It felt like forever before Gregory and Vanessa tumbled out of another vent opening. Dusting themselves off, they two looked around. Vanessa hardly recognized the area, she'd only ever been down here a handful of times and most of that time was spent getting through it as fast as possible.
All she knew of this place was that it used to be some old meet and greet area between children and the extra endoskeletons Fazbear Entertainment kept on hand. From what she remembered being told by the old nightguard, the execs wanted to cut costs as much as possible while maximizing profits; their genius idea to do that was to try and desensitize children to the endos so they didn't have to waste money on slapping new casings on each one and handling the upkeep that went with it. Clearly from the state of decay and general garbage tossed around, their plan was a colossal failure. Now it was just used for storage and maintenance access to certain areas.
Shining her light around, Vanessa led the way toward a rolling door that would get them deeper into the area. Clicking his own flashlight on, Gregory followed the woman closely. Stealing glances up at her and their surroundings, the boy couldn't help but feel creeped out by the murals and the enclosed space.
Hesitating for a moment in front of one of the murals, Gregory studied it before muttering to himself, "This is what you look like underneath? I prefer you with the shell on, Freddy."
Turning to look at the bear with a grin, it took a moment for Gregory to remember that the bear wasn't with him. The boy's heart sunk and felt heavy in his chest, throat tightening and nose stinging.
Oh yeah, that's right...Freddy wasn't there with him.
Abruptly turning, the boy quickly caught up to Vanessa. Doing his best to take his mind off the pit that had formed in his stomach, he continued looking around. It was easier to focus on things other than the crushing sadness he felt.
There was so much clutter and so many doors blocked off that Gregory's instincts screamed at him. This place was a death trap, and they were walking right into it. But he had to get that badge so he could save Freddy.
So, he followed Vanessa, the woman seemed to know where they were going. Taking his own cursory glance at his FazWatch, the boy sighed as the map gave no help whatsoever. If he ever found out who designed the map system, he was going to punch them in the dick.
Sticking close to each other, the duo carefully picked their way through the winding tunnels, dodging the endos that activated every time they touched a door button. From what Vanessa could tell, the endos didn't really pay her any mind, solely focused on the young boy beside her.
It was curious.
Why pay her no mind, yet go after the kid?
Of course, it could have something to do with her being a guard and how she was supposed to be in the building. But that didn't explain why they were actively hostile towards a child; there were programming parameters that prevented all animatronics from behaving hostilely towards humans. With certain exceptions of course.
But none of those exceptions encompassed children.
They were the only ones that were completely excluded, which was a given considering the franchise's past.
Vanessa was growing more certain that the woman in the rabbit costume had some part to play in this. A large part, if the encounter from the tunnels before said anything.
Using the oversight to their advantage, Gregory would hide whenever the endos activated and wait for Vanessa to signal that he was clear to come out. Working in tandem like this, they were able to reach the dilapidated security office in a short time.
Neither were prepared to see the multiple endos in the room, all completely powered down. The room was reminiscent of the daycare, soft colorful mats on the floor to soften any falls children may suffer. Now it was dirty, unused, and filled with creepy bullshit. And Gregory had the horrible feeling that as soon as they grabbed the pass on the desk, the endos would activate. Something always happened each time he'd grab one, so why would this time be any different?
Of course, he was right.
He'd never been as right as he'd been that night.
The moment he grabbed the pass, the endos activated all at once. Red lights lit in metallic sockets and previously locked joints ground together as they moved. Surrounded, Gregory began to panic, there was only so much he could do with just a light and pair of eyes.
Thankfully for them both Vanessa was quick on her feet; thinking quickly, Vanessa scooped the boy up and sprinted down the hall they came from. The moment Gregory was in her arms, the endos turned their attention to both. Dodging around one, it managed to catch its claws—because of course they had fucking claws—in the side of her shirt, shredding the material easily.
Burning pain lit up her side and she panted; Gregory may have been small and light, but he was still a significant weight she had to carry. As athletic and in shape as she was, Vanessa was still only human.
Sliding around another corner, Vanessa's knees buckled slightly, and she shoulder checked the wall. Catching herself, the woman clutched the kid tighter to compensate for the rebound, his frantic grip on her shoulders turning bruising.
The vent they'd crawled through was nearby and the clattering footsteps behind them grew closer. All but throwing the boy, neither wasted time fleeing through the ventilation system and past the lone endo guarding the other side. As they were coming up behind the thing, Vanessa didn't hesitate to shove its back.
It was heavy and frozen in position, so the resistance she met jarred her wrists and sent shooting tingles up her arms. Nevertheless, the shove was strong enough that it toppled over and bought them precious time to make it back to the doors to Parts and Service.
Doubling over, Gregory panted hard, sweat running down his back and dampening his shirt. Everything happened so fast, he hadn't even had time to feel offended at being picked up like a small child.
Wiping his hands on his shorts, the boy swiped his bangs out of his face. Looking at Vanessa, he felt a shock of alarm go through him; red had soaked through her shirt on one side, long scratches running jagged through the tattered fabric.
Biting his lip, Gregory jogged toward the first aid area, ignoring Vanessa's breathy protests. The woman was still doubled over and wheezing, and judging from the lack of footsteps after him, the boy could hazard a guess that she wasn't quite recovered yet. Grabbing armfuls of the stuff he thought they'd need, the boy toddled back to where he left her.
The woman held a hand against her side to stem some of the blood. Frowning at him for a moment, Vanessa's face softened as she took in what the young boy held. "Kid...Gregory, you didn't need to."
Shaking his head, the boy sternly scowled, "You're hurt, and we can't afford anything to slow us down."
Snorting, Vanessa let the kid shove the supplies at her and watched her like a hawk as she looked over her wound. The boy may have come across as brusque, but it was cute how he hovered. The kid was a lot softer than he acted.
Vanessa's wound wasn't deep, just stubbornly bled. Cleaning it up, the woman slapped some gauze and tape on it and called it a day. She let the kid inspect her handiwork and had to hide a smile when he nodded in satisfaction.
The kid really was a huge softie.
Gathering up the remaining supplies, they both made sure to pack them away in their proper places, who knew if they'd have to swing by in the future. Vanessa hoped they wouldn't have too, but at this point she'd be stupid to dismiss the possibility. With how their night was going so far...yeah she really didn't want to take that chance.
Dusting her hands off—because the company obviously couldn't afford to pay anyone to clean up—the guard glanced down at Gregory once more. The boy was bouncing on his toes impatiently and staring intently back the way they'd come.
It was clear he was eager to investigate Parts and Service.
Apparently, Vanessa's arm had developed a mind of its own, because before her brain had even caught up with the movement, she'd reached down and ruffled the child's hair. Dull nails and long fingers caught on a few mats and the boy's hair felt greasy and rough.
While it was to be expected that the boy was dirtier than not—crawling around in vents would do that—the state of his hair caused alarm bells to scream in her head. Vanessa wasn't any kind of expert on child or hair care, but the state he was in couldn't be normal.
Couple that with his physical appearance—smaller than any 9 year old should be and depressingly thin—and his lack of guest profile...
It was...worrisome to say the least.
Despite the unexpected move, the boy pushed up into the touch and sighed softly. The moment only lasted a few seconds before the boy tensed and ducked away, eyeing her warily. Pulling her hand back to her chest, the woman ignored the prickle of concern for the moment.
Clearing her throat, the guard gestured in the general direction of their destination, "Uh...we should be able to get through the doors now..."
Suddenly remembering their mission, the child forgot his wariness and scurried away. Letting the boy take the lead, Vanessa trailed after him through the doors to Parts and Service. Upon opening the inner doors, both of their eyes found the bear animatronic at the same time. Freddy was settled into the maintenance cylinder, head disconnected from his body but otherwise looked intact.
Vanessa had seen the bots down here before, but she'd never gotten used to them being taken apart like this. Perhaps it was the human part of her that recoiled at the thought of being so thoroughly disconnected from her body.
The joyful cry that ripped from the child and his pounding footsteps were enough to kick Freddy into alertness. The bear looked like he'd been resting in sleep mode. It made Vanessa feel better, despite her harshness earlier in the evening she truly didn't want anything bad to happen to Freddy or his friends.
Eyes springing open, the bear's voice echoed in the room, no longer glitching.
"Superstar! You are safe, I'm so relieved!"
Gregory found his voice the moment he slid to a stop in front of the cylinder and pressed a hand to the glass. Pure relief and threads of joy worked their way through the young boy. "Freddy! Freddy! Are you okay!? What happened!?"
The boy was frustrated that he couldn't get to Freddy. He just wanted the bear to be okay and he totally didn't look very okay with his head like that.
Laughing, the bear is quick to reassure him, "Gregory, superstar...I'm so happy to see you...well...hear you. I cannot move at the moment so I cannot really see you. But I am okay!" Pausing, the bear checked over some of his subroutines to ensure he wasn't inadvertently lying to the boy, "My systems are functioning much better!"
Relieved, Gregory felt more than heard Vanessa step up beside him, too focused on Freddy. Despite it, he almost expected the hand that settles on his shoulder, and he looked up. Vanessa was looking at the bear with a small smile, "We're glad you're okay Freddy. Just give me a moment and we'll have you out."
Chiming in his agreement, Gregory started to bounce on his toes again. He watched Vanessa curiously as the woman tapped a few buttons on the old looking computer. Whatever she was doing made the cylinder's door slide open and a masculine voice chime over the speakers.
"Please take care when entering the protective cylinder."
Excitedly the boy rushed in, ignoring Vanessa's protests and the warning. Setting a hand on the bear's arm, Gregory looked the bear over curiously. He didn't look any worse for wear, no new cracks or anything like that; at most Freddy had a few new scrapes to his finish and paint but that was it.
"Please be careful Gregory, I...am not quite myself at the moment. Perhaps you should let Officer Vanessa finish my maintenance."
It didn't matter to Freddy that he was disconnected from his body and unable to move, the relief he felt at his cub—Gregory—being okay was all encompassing. He'd been so worried about the little boy, unable to get the child's horrified expression out of his mind when Moon had grabbed him.
Freddy was a bit miffed at the daycare attendant, but Moon seemed to be having a rough night. Whatever was affecting his bandmates was influencing Moon as well. Brought back to the present, Freddy heard Vanessa guide the child through the maintenance procedures.
It wasn't ideal and Freddy would much rather the guard do the hands-on part, but Gregory was nothing if not stubborn. His—The—cub wouldn't let the guard even suggest the alternative, clearly still distrustful of her.
Despite Freddy's warning that he wasn't himself, the boy still insisted. It stressed Freddy out because for whatever reason, Fazbear Entertainment thought it was a good idea for all animatronic safety protocols to be turned off while being worked on. That wouldn't be too much of an issue if a technician didn't need to be inside the cylinder with said animatronic while they were being worked on.
Freddy would definitely lodge a formal complaint at the end of this.
And he totally wasn't trying to distract himself as Gregory worked on him. The time it took for Vanessa and Gregory to complete the process felt like an eternity and the bear wanted to squirm, but he resisted.
The moment his head was reattached and systems recalibrated, Freddy was out of the chair and scooping the young boy up into a hug, mindful of his wounded arm. Gregory didn't fight him on this, the boy's own arms wrapping around the bear's neck returning the hug just as fiercely.
Something inside Freddy clicked back into place and the bear pressed his muzzle to the top of the boy's head. Neither of them even realized the picture that they presented to the guard standing off to the side.
Vanessa stood off to the side, watching the reunion with a slight smile. It was honestly really cute, Freddy's ears wiggling in contentment and a small, genuine smile lifting the corner of the child's mouth. She didn't stare for too long, feeling too much like she was intruding on a private moment.
She just let them have the moment.
It would end soon enough; Freddy still had a lot of questions to answer.
Separating, Gregory was gently lowered to his feet while Freddy turned to Vanessa. Settling a gentle hand on the boy's head, Freddy offered a small smile and ear wiggle to the guard.
"Thank you, Officer Vanessa!"
Bashfully, Vanessa felt her face heat and she shifted from side to side, "You don't have to thank me, Freddy." Fixing the bear with a look, Vanessa crossed her arms, "But...you do have a lot of explaining to do."
Freddy had the decency to look sheepish, ears drooping down. Sighing, Vanessa tried so hard to keep the amusement she felt inside.
Gregory left the two to their conversation, letting Freddy's hand fall away from his head. Waving at Freddy's "Don't wander too far superstar!" Gregory distractedly looked around the room. He really didn't understand the pizzaplex's apparent need for any place not accessible to the immediate public to be as dirty and creepy as possible.
Parts and Service looked more like a prison than anything else; endos were caged off to one side while the other side held rooms that looked far too close to cells for comfort. Grease and oil stains littered the workbenches and floor, oddly reminding Gregory of splashes of blood.
Shivering, the boy wandered up the right side of the ramp towards the only splashes of color the room possessed. There were four doors, each with a stenciled version of the Glamrocks on it. Clearly these led somewhere and each one was specific to each animatronic. Beside the farthest door to the right, there were three schematic sheets hung on the wall.
Vaguely, the boy heard Vanessa and Freddy in the background behind him as his eyes roved over the pictures, something about only the elevator for Roxy working at the moment. But the boy was too absorbed in the plan that was forming in his head.
All of the animatronics were equipped with some kind of special upgrade, minus Freddy. Chica had a specialized voice box, Roxy had special eyes, and Monty had upgraded claws. The schematics, from what Gregory could understand, hinted that they parts were interchangeable and could be retrofitted on the other animatronics.
It would make sense. All of them had roughly the same endoskeleton.
Excitedly, the boy turned and ran down the ramp to bounce in front of the two adults. Interrupting them, Gregory pointed to the posters behind him and grinned, "Freddy look! The others have these special parts that we can use to upgrade you!"
The kid didn't know what he expected, but it wasn't Freddy frowning at him. The bear's ears flicked back, and his eyes darted down and off to the side. The grin slid off Gregory's face as a dark pit opened inside him again.
"Superstar...they...those parts belong to my friends. I do not want to hurt them."
Stubbornly, the boy reached out to tug at Freddy's arm. He had to convince the bear, Freddy would be better able to protect himself and Gregory if he had those upgrades. "Freddy with those upgrades you wouldn't have to worry about the others!"
"Gregory I cannot—"
Desperately, the boy continued his plea, "But Freddy you could—"
"Superstar they're my friends I—"
Tears of frustration began to sting at the boy's eyes as Freddy's face grew more and more despondent and disappointed. Interrupting the bear again, Gregory tried, "But Freddy they've tried to kill—"
"Gregory!"
Flinching back, Gregory blinked owlishly up at the bear; Freddy's voice never rose in volume, but the disappointment and stress carried in his tone told the boy all he needed to know. Freddy would never agree with him.
Freddy would never help him.
He was a fool to have thought otherwise.
Who the hell was he in the grand scheme of things? Of course, Freddy would choose his friends over Gregory. And why should the boy have expected any different? Freddy barely knew him and vice versa.
Whatever that the animatronics could be put back together, while Gregory didn't have that luxury. It didn't matter. He didn't matter.
Staring down at the ground as the resulting silence echoed around the three of them, the boy bit his lip until he tasted blood. The pain was a distraction, if he focused on the physical pain he didn't have to focus on the internal pain.
Too bad the tears still managed to well up and spill over.
Looking up at the bear from under his lashes, Gregory glared and let every ounce of betrayal he felt show. Freddy's own face was twisted in something like guilt, but Gregory didn't care. So, what if Freddy felt bad?
So, what if Freddy wasn't willing to help?
Gregory could finish this night on his own. He could survive until 6:00a.m. and leave this hellhole, never to be seen near this place again. He didn't need the warmth. He didn't need the food. He didn't need the affection that Freddy offered. He didn't need Freddy.
He didn't need Freddy!
And Freddy didn't need him!
Lurching forward, the boy shoved Freddy and snarled at him angrily, "Fine! That's fine! I don't need you—" Gregory hiccupped as the tears started to flow faster and his breath caught, "You're just like everyone else! You—you don't care about me! You never did!"
The animatronic didn't budge from his spot and Gregory felt rage simmer under his skin. He was so fucking weak he couldn't even move the bear an inch and here he was crying and letting this affect him.
Whatever, at least he could take satisfaction at the stricken expression the bear wore. Maybe he'd experience at least a fraction of what Gregory felt.
"Superstar please that's not tru—"
Turning on his heel, Gregory fled up the ramp and toward the only working elevator. He didn't want to hear it, the bear had already made his stance clear, and Gregory was on his own. As much as it hurt, the boy couldn't say he was surprised.
It was only a matter of time after all.
He was too much, too violent, too weird.
No one could ever tolerate him for very long.
Much less care enough to help him.
Much less care enough to love him.
And that...that was his own fault.