Teddy Bear

In Promo by Tag

“My mom used to say that every kid’s first friend is their teddy bear.”

“A cute little inanimate object that you think would protect you from monsters, nightmares, and every little thing that goes bump in the night.”

“But that just ain’t true.”

“Sure, the kid can love his teddy, but the sad truth is that the bear? It’s not real. Deep inside of its chest ain’t a heart, it ain’t love.”

“It’s all stitches and stuffing.”

“And once the kid grows up, they realize slowly that while they love that bear, it can never really love them back.”

“They move on.”

“They grow up.”

“The bear gets put away, the horrors of the world become real, and the kid has to rely on more than a fabrication of feelings.”

“He needs the warmth of another human, to feel the beat of their heart and the love in their souls.”

“You just can’t supply anything like that, can you Kid?”

“Starboy talked about you a lot, you know. You were a little brother to him in a way, but I saw what you really were all too quickly, man. You weren’t his brother, you weren’t real. You were just a teddy bear for him to hug, a stand in for real human connection he just wasn’t getting anywhere else.”

“A patchwork stitched up from metal and rivets with circuit stuffing to make you whole. You can pretend all day and night that you’re real, that you can have all the love and fight that any regular human can.”

“But it just ain’t true, man.”

“Because deep within your cold metal body isn’t a heart, there’s no real emotions behind your eyes. You exist as your creators intended, a teddy bear who can offer the illusion of protection.”

“And that illusion? It’s fucking shattered, TGK.”

“It was broken in two when Starboy ended up dead on that cold floor and there wasn’t a single Teddy Bear, no TGK around to keep him safe from the nightmares, the tragedies of the real fuckin’ world.”

“I could have saved him.”

“But instead I was pulled away from him, made to keep my distance despite knowing exactly what he needed! He wanted to grow up, to move on!”

“I was the warmth in his arms, the love in his eyes. Had I been there Starboy would still be alive today, he’d be around to cuddle his teddy bear and thank him for all the time he spent pretending to protect him.”

“You know it, don’t you?”

“Compared to me? You’ll never be as good as a real human with a real connection.”

“Because I’m the real deal, man. There’s blood in my veins, a heart in my chest, and a soul in my body. And when we enter the ring, I’m going to show you just why I could have done what you failed to do.”

“Now put your head between my legs, TGK.”

“And kiss your win goodbye.”