separation//[t.j.]

reconciliation.

tyler's pov

"keep your-" i stopped singing as i noticed something. a woman in barricade had collapsed. i would have called for security to help her, but i immediately realized who it was.

i jumped of the stage and had everyone move. i couldn't believe it. after 15 years, there she was.

"mom!" a girl said, as she kneeled over y/n. mom? i pushed away that thought as i kneeled over the woman i had once loved.

"what happened?" i asked, frantically. the girl who had called y/n her mother then spoke.

"i don't- i don't know. she asked me what your full name was and then she collapsed. i think she only fainted." she told me.

"she didn't know?" i questioned.

"no. this is her first time bringing me to a concert. i've never really talked about the band before i asked for her to bring me here..does she know you?" the girl told me. i was about to continue the conversation when i noticed all the people around me. i grabbed my walkie talkie to tell security to evacuate the venue. as much as i missed performing, this was urgent.

"i need to evacuate the venue, asap." i spoke. everyone groaned.

"what's your name, kid?" i asked the girl.

"i'm riley. it's nice to meet you, i love your music." she introduced herself. i smiled.

"is this..your mom?" i asked her. she nodded.

"yup. she's the best woman i've ever known. i'm sorry that you had to evacuate the first show in over two years."

"don't feel bad. i just need to make sure your mom is okay."

"wouldn't you usually just call for security?"

"yeah but...i need to talk to her."

"i know i asked you this, but do you know her or something?" riley asked me. i nodded.

"we used to be...friends." i admitted. i didn't know how much i was supposed to tell her. a small part of me deep down inside wondered if i was her dad. but..wouldn't y/n have told me? but then again, i did leave her.

that was something i regretted every day of my life.

after about a half hour, the venue eventually evacuated completely. i sent riley to go hang out with mark and josh, while i waited for y/n to wake up. i asked if i should call an ambulance, but i was told not to because she only fainted.

waiting for her to wake up was like waiting for toast to pop. if you waited impatiently, it seemed like it just wouldn't happen.

but, eventually, she did.

your pov

i opened my eyes to see that i was on the cold ground. how did i get here? i sat up, my hand flying to my head.

"jeez." i muttered. i then looked in front of me and almost screamed. it was tyler.

"hey there...long time no see." he said. i stared at him, as i remembered how i got where i was. i had taken riley to see a concert for their favorite band...wait where was riley?

"t-tyler. how- what- hi." i stuttered.

"don't worry, you're okay. you just fainted, that's all. riley is with my two friends, so she's safe if that's what you're wondering." tyler told me. i felt all the color from my face drain. tyler and riley met.

"they. riley is non-binary." i corrected tyler out of habit. he nodded.

"alright, i'll remember that. are they your kid? i noticed they called you mom."

"yeah. riley is my child."

"how old are they?"

"tyler can we talk about this in a more comfortable spot? plus, i want riley to know i'm okay." i asked, changing the subject. the last thing i wanted to do was tell my ex that he had a kid, on the floor of a venue where he was supposed to be performing.

"absolutely. let's go backstage, that's where they are." tyler replied. he got up and took my hand, helping me up.

we made our way backstage, not exchanging another word. it was a bit awkward. you go 15 years without seeing someone, and you don't know what to say. especially when there's a child involved.

we went backstage and riley was talking to a guy with curly brown hair wearing a skeleton hoodie.

"mom!" riley said, running towards me. "thank God you're okay!"

"yeah, i'm okay." i replied, hugging them. "sorry about all the chaos i just caused."

"oh its no problem! we can redo this show some other time. also, that's one cool kid you got there." the guy with the curly hair told me.

"thank you...what's your name?" i asked. he chuckled.

"mom, that's josh. he's the drummer. and the other guy next to him is mark." riley informed me. josh and mark waved.

"i see. i'm y/n, by the way." i announced. josh's eyes widened.

"wait you're the y/n?" he asked. tyler elbowed him.

"in the flesh." i replied. "would you guys mind if riley hung out a bit more? i have a bit to talk about with tyler."

"mom, what's going on?" riley then asked, confused. i looked at them.

"i can't really tell you right now, but i need you to be ready to keep an open mind. okay?" i replied. they nodded. "i'll be back in a bit."

riley went to sit with josh and mark again, as i disappeared with tyler.

"we can talk in my dressing room. it might be more comfortable there." tyler said. i nodded.

we found his dressing room and he opened the door and shut it behind us. there was a table, so we went to sit at it. when we were seated, i decided it was time to start talking.

"what would you like to know?" i asked tyler, calmly.

"everything. start with riley."