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tiredbonbon · 2 years

Text

…Affairs

Pairing: William Afton x gn! Reader

Summary: You lived in your small, shitty town all your life, with nothing very interesting happening to you, until at least, you catch the eye of one of your dad‘s friends.

Warnings!: age gap (reader is an adult), flirty William bc thats how it is, inappropriate relationships(?)

A.note: soo this is the firt time i write anything on this blog, if the writing in here isn’t the best please excuse me I am trying this kind of stuff for the first time and have to see if I feel comfy with it and what the response is, feel free to offer criticism in my dm‘s or leave requests in my inbox, reader is gender neutral btw.

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Picture creds: Noisx

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You had been living in the small town you were born in for all your life, and that meant all your life, you never spent a year abroad, never went to schools outside and even vacations or visits out of town were never longer than a week. You basically knew this place like your right pocket, and everyone there knew you and you and your family as well.

It wasn’t that you particularly hated it, it was more that you were so goddamn bored of it, this place felt like a desert at times, and really, the only thing that even attracted people from outside was the diner down the streets, ‚Freddy Fazbears Pizza‘ a pizzeria ran by two of your fathers friends he met in college. The place was actually a huge hit all around the state, gradually extending its popularity all around the country, which was because of, you guessed, the children’s entertainment animatronics that had always been the face of the franchise.

Despite it easily being the hottest place in town for both children and adults, it wasn’t a place you particularly liked to spend your time at, first of, the animatronics always creeped you out a little bit, secondly, since Henry was particularly close to your dad, should you have run into him at the restaurant, you‘d always have to awkwardly try and chitchat, which was nearly unavoidable with him being at the place like every day anyway. The only time you ever really went down there was when your parents asked you to go and pick up some pizza to eat for lunch or dinner and despite him sometimes being a bit too friendly for your own taste, Henry was a nice man, often times telling you to keep the money your dad gave you and to take the food on the house, that was always a welcomed boost for your wallet.

Right now, you sat on the sidelines of your family’s garden in the shade trying to block out the soldering heat that was a summer in Utah, your family was hosting a barbecue at your house, inviting Henry with his wife and kid, as well as the Aftons from down the block, you never knew them as well as the Emilys, but you were always well aware of their existence.

In the garden, three kids ran around the active sprinklers, Charlotte, Elizabeth and Evan. Out of the bunch, Charlie was the one that you were most comfortable with, she was a nice and respectful kid and most of all knew her boundaries, while on the other hand Elizabeth was just too extroverted and energetic for your taste, and while he was a good kid at heart, Evan always felt like a bit of a time bomb. You never wanted to handle the awkwardness of accidentally making a small child cry that you always felt came with interacting with him.

Both Liz and Evan belonged to the Aftons, they did have another brother called Michael, but just like you, he was long an adult and instead of jumping around the cold sprinklers rather sat in the shade, far away from anyone else.

You looked up to the parents mostly standing out in the middle of the porch, your mum and dad were both next to the active grills, chatting with Henry and his wife, while off on the side a bit away from them, there he was, William.

Honestly, you never spend a lot of time around him, for one, when you were down at the pizzeria, he was apparently working in the back and when you were home, if Michael was telling the truth he was usually in the downstairs basement working on new ‚creations‘. All enough to tell you that he wasn’t very sociable which felt a bit ironic knowing he managed a restaurant chain targeted at kids.

The only times you saw him was when he occasionally chatted with your dad in front of the house, peeking out his office at the pizzeria or that one time he helped your mom fix her car, but really you didn’t remember the last time you saw him like this, in a populated area with his family, standing around in the open.

Visually, you didn’t find him particularly …unappealing, he was a tall, slender guy, with short and messy brown hair and most times in mediocrely formal attire, his eyes were quite cool and most times sunken in with a typical, wide, british grin, which was also mirrored in his accent.

Who were you really kidding here? You didn’t think of your dad‘s friend as unattractive, he was the typical, dilfy, older guy for you, and finding him so appealing was also one of the factors why you didn’t really come around to the pizzeria the last few years. You questioned your tastes a little bit, after all, a lot of the neighborhood kids and even some teens were straight up terrified of William for one reason or another and avoided his mere sight at all costs.

You sighed, trying to brush the thoughts out of your head, you wished you could have just watched this all from your room, but your parents insisted that you stayed outside with them now that you were ‚one of the adults‘.

„Y/n!“ you flinched suddenly realizing your dad was calling out to you, you shifted from the stones you were sitting on as quick as possible as you hurried over to know what he wanted.

„Gosh darling is your hearing okay?“ he shook his head as you tried recovering from your total daze earlier, he sighed, „ugh… would you be so kind and fetch some plates from inside, oh, and some ice pops for the kids?“ he asked.

„Oh uh, yeah sure.“ you replied swiftly, you didn’t mind getting away from the others outside for a little. You quickly walked inside and into the kitchen, leaning over the counter to pull around a recent newspaper, your eyes scanning around the articles for a bit as you slacked down into one of the kitchen island‘s stools and reading trough the texts, losing grasp of what you were even supposed to do.

„Still in here, eh?“ you perked up at the sudden voice in the room, mortified to see William of all standing at the opposite side of the kitchen island, crossing his arms.

Your scrambled up, nearly knocking over the stool you were on with you on it and barely preventing a fall, „Oh uh- Mr. Afton, do you need anything?“ His lips twitched up at your sudden nervousness and loss of composure, „Your fatha‘ told me to go in here to check on you, said‘ he didn’t want you sneaking off to your room.“

You hissed a little, knowing thats the exact type of thing your dad would say, not taking into account if it‘d embarrass you or not. You folded the newspaper back up and quickly pushed past him to go to the kitchen cabinets in which the plates were, almost feeling nervous as his arms barely crossed yours. „Don’t rush, I‘m not gonna blame ya‘ „

You turned back to him raising an eyebrow in confusion, „I‘m not an ‚extrovert‘ myself yknow‘ , Henry‘s usually the one handling the kids down at the diner.“ he leaned against the counter behind him as you pulled out a few plates from the cabinets and set them down, chuckling awkwardly.

You undoubtedly felt embarrassed being completely alone with him, not that it had even happened before anyway. You had no idea what to say, or talk about, but then, one small thing still came to your mind. „So uh, are you building any more of those …robots?“

He chuckled, „oh yeah, plenty, are you interested in that sorta stuff y/n?“ fuck, that was the first time you think you had even heard him say your name at all. „Heh- A little maybe, I was kinda curious I guess.“

„hmhm, well I‘m flattered, you can come down to the diner sometime, I‘d be happy to show you some the endos we use.“ he offered, it did seem sorta interesting… you always kinda wondered how those animatronics looked like without the faux fur covers, although, you weren’t sure if it wouldn’t be equally terrifying.

You turned back to the plates, you weren’t sure how many would be used, so you just got a good stack. You bent down to the cooler, cramming around for any ice pops to keep the children at bay for a while. „So, you got yourself a fit bloke round‘ here?“ you felt yourself a bit startled at the sudden questioning, trying to keep your eyes fixed on the cooler and not up to meet his.

„Eh- no Sir, I‘ve uh.. I‘ve never had a boyfriend before I don’t really like the guys around here.“ you replied, that was actually the truth, most the people your age around here were far from your type, your mom had asked you plenty of times what you thought about Michael, and while he definitely aged better than most around there, you couldn’t see anything like that with him.

„Well, what about the men?“ you nearly choked for a moment, awkwardly laughing as if what he said was just some generic joke, yet you had no real idea what he actually meant by it. You finally scrambled out the ice pops from the freezer, putting them on top of the stacks of plates, „Are ya sure you can carry all that by yourself?“ he asked, you paused, looking at the stack for a moment, but before you could reply he had already pushed himself beside you and picked up half the stack himself.

You smiled awkwardly, „Thank you Mr. Afton…“

You quickly picked up your stack, following him outside as you didn’t want to bother your parents anymore with your reluctance, “there you are y/n, what in the world you took so long?” Your father asked seeing you finally leave the building, you were already prepared for a long lecture and being damned to stand next to him by the grill but to your surprise, before you had to say anything, William answered for you, “Bloody hell Bill give them a rest would you? We were just inside having a chat.”

Your father looked over to William, then to you, before seemingly calming down, “Whatever you say Will…” before you could turn to thank him however, Elizabeth and Charlie were already scrambling to steal the ice pops you had from you. Precious kids.

Quickly after you were done handing out ice pops to the kids, you were urged by your mom to help deck out the table for everyone to eat, while doing so, unwillingly your gaze often wandere back to William, who had taken back the spot at the side of the porch, simply leaning against the wall, on occasion meeting your eyes only to have you scrambling back to deck our plates with napkins to which you swore you could hear him chuckle in the distance, his mere presence was seriously starting to kill you.

After everyone sat down to eat, of course he had to be sat right next to you, and sure maybe the bench you sat on was a little cramped since elizabeth wanted to sit right next to her father, but surely not so cramped that his shoulder had to be constantly pressing against yours right..?

“So y/n, are you still on the lookout for a job? Like I said I’d always offer you a place down at the diner.” Henry mentioned, “Ah no worries, I’m still trying to manage my work from home since its the easiest at the moment.” You replied, your form stiffening even more when William turned his head to you.

It probably didn’t look weird to the others, but for you he was starting to be so close you felt his breath on your neck, his eyes always threatening to meet yours should you just risk the tiniest glance over at him.

“Thats a shame, I’m sure you’d look fantastic in one of our work uniforms.” The comment made most adults at the table chuckle, even Henry, but for you, it split your mind, you felt your emotions make you dizzy

Before he could say anything else, as if your hand moved on its own, you ‘accidentally’ knocked over your glass of lemonade, spilling it all over your top and shorts.

“Oh- Y/n are you okay??” Charlotte peeked up from her side of the table, you quickly stood up, “Oh yeah- please excuse me I’ll go change in my room!” And before your parents or anyone else could say something you rushed back inside and upstairs, sliding down your door as soon as you slammed it shut.

Fuck

You had absolutely no idea what had just happened to your mind, it was like the pinnacle of tension in your body, not even neccecarily awkwardness but something else. You slowly got back up and took a deep breath before taking off your now very sticky shirt and shorts, ‘ am I letting myself get so tense just because of that man? What is wrong with me??’

You crammed out a new pair of shorts and a tshirt, god previously you didn’t even talk to William and now after so little interaction you were letting him get to you so much? For gods sake he was your dads friend and probably old enough to be your father too, this… this wasn’t becoming more than a silly crush right?

You grabbed a pillow from your bed and hit it atop your own head, trying to quite literally bonk yourself, by now, the sun had gone down, and surely it was time for everyone to leave anyways, you could surely go downstairs now right? Sure your dad would be pissed for you not saying goodbye to your guests, but you’d just have to deal with that.

You slowly made your way back down, it was awfully quiet, ‘huh… maybe they left already?’ It would have been much to your gratitude.

‘Huh… seems like it’ the front porch was empty, only the grills coal slowly burning out, you breathed a sigh of relief slowly backing away to lean against your kitchen island in victory, but ran into something else halfway, immediately flinching back.

Great. Just your fucking luck.

“AH- Mr- Mr. Afton, Im so sorry I thought you and your family were already gone-“ you stuttered, trying to hold composure even though you had just blatantly walked right into his chest, but he once again, merely chuckled.

“Its all right luv, I just wanted to say goodbye to ya, its not even me and you see each other aight?” You felt your face heat up, now it wasn’t just tension, it was straight up making you blush, was he meaning to do this????

“Oh of course- have a good night Mr. Afton, I- I’ll say hello next time in down at the diner!”

“Just visit me in my office, I’d be happy to have you around.” He grinned, one last time, before turning away from you, “Liz, Evan, Michael! Get over here we are going home.

You stood in the kitchen for another few moments, dumbfounded, red and confused.

This was, definitely becoming more than a silly crush.

#fnaf #five nights at freddy's #william afton #silver eyes #x reader #henry emily #charlotte emily #william afton x reader #flirting #fanfiction #fanfic #evan afton #michael afton #elizabeth afton #dave miller #dave miller x reader #fnaf x reader

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pandoraolivine · 3 months

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All For Me

A FNAF fic I've been working on that follows the story of Michael Afton from the Fall Fest Fire, to his greatest regret until his second death at the end of Pizzeria Simulator. I intend on including Vanessa A. into the story after the Sister Location time skip as well. I'll just be posting the first chapter here since it'll be a fairly hefty project, but if you like it, feel free to continue with it on my Ao3 account below! I just posted the second chapter, which is my interpretation of the Fall Fest Fire.

I'll crosspost the disclaimer from there as well:

This is my interpretation of the story relying mostly off the games, movie and graphic novels. I work a full time job, I ain't reading all those books. You may not agree with the decisions I make and that's chill. The sequence of events I have chosen is what I feel is best from a thematic perspective, so I might make some logical leaps for things I may not entirely back up with evidence, but think it sounds best for a story. For example, these are my two biggest:

1. Cassidy will be the Crying Child, Golden Freddy, and the 5th MCI child. Do I entirely back this theory based on evidence? No, but 1. I like the name 2. It makes the story cleaner having one spirit attached to Golden Freddy and 3. I like the implications it means for William's motivations, which I will be exploring later on. I really liked the YouTube channel Duel Process Theory's interpretation of it, so I will be taking inspiration from it, with my own spin on it.

2. I am making Henry and William brothers, so Henry will be the Afton childrens' uncle. Is there any evidence backing this? Absolutely not. But I want the themes of this to be centered around brotherhood and family dynamics/cycles of trauma, and I like the stakes it has. Plus, I do find it odd how attention has been drawn to the fact that Henry's last name is unknown (Emily is a stretch, and then also only in the books related to Charlie and personally I think it's a middle name)

This will be all for this disclaimer for now. It's ok if you don't agree with the decisions I make, just know I made this basing this off my own research into the series and my opinions on what is the most narratively satisfying. For a story-telling purpose I may make choices that are flakey at best evidence wise-but I'm mostly focused on exploring characters, their relationship and motivations, so that will take priority for me opposed to dissecting this endless lore to make everything 100% correct (if that's even possible at this point, let's be real). Thanks for listening to my TED Talk. I hope you like it 🖤

WC: 3,823

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“Smile, Michael. The newspaper is coming to write an article about us, and they'll be taking pictures.” His father ordered as he combed his hair using the backroom mirror. Michael felt the urge to grumble, but refrained, not wanting to catch an earful from his father. He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes away from view. He hated the pizzeria, forced family gatherings, and being the center of attention; now he was forced to do all three at once.

Elizabeth rocked the chair she sat in from her uncontrollable enthusiasm, her strawberry blonde hair tied pristinely back with a red bow. His mother placed her hands on the toddler's shoulders to settle her, but it was no use-it was impossible to tell his sister what to do once she had made up her mind. His father pulled away from the mirror and set his comb on the table, assessing the family before him with a hint of sourness. Despite having coordinated the entire family's outfits and hairstyles, he remained dissatisfied.

“Are they gonna play the games?” Cassidy asked, his feet swaying as they dangled in the chair he sat in across from Elizabeth. Michael sighed, the smacking of his gum growing louder.

“No, they are not here to play games. They're here to make us the next best family-friendly restaurant in town.” His father corrected, straightening his back as he cleared his throat. Cassidy’s head drooped and he ran his hands along his golden Fredbear plush. “A lot is riding on this. Do not disappoint me. Smile, do not speak unless prompted, and Michael-stop slouching.”

Michael rose his shoulders, blowing a pink bubble from his lips. His father's eyes flashed and he pointed his finger to the nearest trash can. “Gum out, now.” His father demanded. He did what was asked, taking a deep breath to withhold his tongue.

“Now then, shall we?” His father announced, his hands clasped neatly together. Elizabeth giggles as she hurries out of her seat, his mother swiftly seizing her hand to prevent her from bolting. Cassidy slides down, his eyes glued to the floor as he drags his way over to Michael. They exit the room, but Cassidy lingers in Michael's shadow, much to his irritation as his heels are repeatedly trampled on. As they hurried down the hall, the customary ensemble of video game blasters, children screeching, and cheesy pop music grew louder, as did the foul stench of pizza. They entered into the main game area, the rapidly flickering lights distorting Michael's vision. He struggled to fathom his own thoughts given how loud the music was as brightly clothed children scurried about; he could only stand to hear Styx’s “Mr. Roboto” so many times in the restaurant before he started to go mad. Elizabeth squirmed out of her mother's hands and dashed towards the similarly-aged brunette approaching them.

“You're late, Henry.” His father criticized, his arms crossed.

“I believe I'm right on time. Not everyone is as obsessive as you, Will.” His Uncle Henry laughed, scratching his dirty blonde mullet as he let go of his young daughter, Charlie's, hand to pull his brother into a reluctant side hug. The two toddlers forcefully embraced and filled the air with their laughter. His father’s eyebrow twitched at the insult.

“Settle down, Will. The cameras will catch your frown if you're not careful.” His mother cooed, her voice soothing even Michael's own nerves. “Is that them now?”

Several persons dressed in business attire gathered at the front doors wielding cameras and notepads. His father tensed, donning a charming grin as he marched towards the entrance. His family followed suit, with Elizabeth and Charlie skipping close to one another (as they always were), his mother next to his father, Uncle Henry on his father's opposite side, and Michael behind his father. He felt a tug on his sleeve, and he peered down at his little brother. Their gazes locked, Cassidy squeezing his plush while his feet shuffled. Michael sighed, playfully messing his brother's perfectly groomed hair with his hand. Cassidy giggled and pushed against his teenage brother's legs.

“Quiet, do not forget what I told you. And again, don't forget to smile.” His father snapped, his perfected mask slipping momentarily before he picked it back up. He opened the doors and pleasantly addressed the crew, “Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza!”

Michael thankfully blocked out most of the interview for his own self preservation. He was following his father's instructions, after all, and his father certainly had no gripes praising himself and the business he and his uncle had created to no end. They moved from Britain to Hurricane, Utah, the middle of nowhere, in 1975, just a year before Cassidy was born. Though he barely remembers his time before Utah, himself only being five when they moved, he's at least certain it was better than here. He despised this town and his father's business. His entire life had been consumed by it; anything else deemed irrelevant to his father. All he has ever known was ridiculous carnivals, half-cooked pizza, and forever being dubbed at school as the son of the man who runs the pizza joint. No matter how hard he fought, he never seemed to be able to form an identity that wasn't attached to his father, and it didn't help that anyone who saw them couldn't help but remark how similar their features were.

It wasn't unbearable at first, having been just yearly fall festivals continuing the business that his father and uncle had started in Britain. Sure, he didn't love it, but could tolerate it in small doses. Since the opening of Fredbear’s Family Diner in 1979, Michael's life was swept away by costumes and animatronics. No matter where his eyes rested, there always seemed to be a bear staring at him. It only got substantially worse once the company received investors, resulting in the establishment of Fazbear Entertainment and the recent opening of their new location, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. The business was his father's most beloved child whom he devoted himself fully to at the expense of bonding with his biological children. Michael didn't care; he’d rather not be in the center of attention. Or, at least, that was what he told himself.

“But, I couldn't do this without my beloved wife and children. I do this for them, and hope to create a fun and family-friendly place not only for everyone, but my own children as well. I make sure to keep the mind of a father when thinking of safety, and the mind of a child to keep the place fresh and exciting.” His father sung his own praises, and Michael was brought back to consciousness with his father's arm aggressively looped around his shoulders. He forced a grin on cue per his father's many reminders.

“We think this place will be a smash hit! Can we get one more picture of the family? It'll look great as the heading.” A woman holding a notepad asked. His father instantly expressed an “of course” and subtly signaled for his family to gather in their practiced formation. His father and mother, of course, stood close together, her hands on his shoulders and Henry on the other side of her. Charlie was wrapped firmly in her father's arms, her being his only primary relative after his wife died during labor. Elizabeth stood proudly in front of her parents, adorning the biggest and most brilliant smile in the family. Michael was on his father's right side, peering slightly behind him, with Cassidy next to him. He was posing when he felt a weak grip latch onto his hand. Knowing it was his little brother, he squeezed tightly.

“Say cheese!” The photographer exclaimed, finger at the ready. Michael cracked a smile as wide as he was capable of, though it wasn't much, and his sister chanted "cheese" the most passionately. A flash struck his eyes and he instantly massaged them once he confirmed the picture was over. After remaining stationary for as much time as she could, Elizabeth charged towards the games, followed by her mother with an exhausted sigh as she wrestled to wrangle the unruly toddler. The news crew thanked his father for his time, with his father quick to say the pleasure was all his, and left the pizzeria. When the doors shut with their leave, his father faced his remaining sons, his features darkened as they stood within the pizzeria walls.

“Could you have at least attempted to look interested during the interview, Michael? We are a family welcoming other families to our pizzeria, and you did not look like it.” His father criticized, gripping his eldest son close to him by his shoulder. Unable to meet his father’s piercing gaze, Michael sank his head, bangs covering his face. He was then released and pushed back, catching himself with his foot. “And you, Cassidy. You looked scared the whole time, I'm sure it put the reporters off. You better have tried to look better for the picture, or else no one will want to come here because of you.”

“Hey, leave him alone, he gets nervous around that many people he doesn't know.” Michael asserted, lifting his head. Cassidy's arms curled securely around Michael's elbow, his face burrowing into his skin and his dark eyes growing red. His father lurched forward before twitching, eyes surveying the surroundings. He then took a deep breath and fixed his hunched posture.

“Take your brother home.” Was all his father said, then he stepped away further into the pizzeria. The knots in Michael's stomach began to untangle and he released a sigh of relief. He ducked his head down to his brother, whose eyes glistened with tears, and nudged him out the doors.

Michael didn't mind the walk back from the pizzeria given that it wasn't particularly extensive or perilous. It was primarily enclosed by trees and he liked hurling rocks at squirrels he spotted. However, today was different, albeit not uncommon, as his brother filled the air with wheezes and the scraping of his feet against gravel.

“You know, you gotta stop being such a crybaby. The kids at school will make fun of you for it.” Michael declared, scratching his own curly brown hair with his free hand. Cassidy sniffled, his beloved plush dragging along the ground. “And for that toy, if they aren't already. It'd probably be best to get rid of it.”

“ No !” Cassidy immediately blubbered, clutching the bear close to his chest as he choked on his own tears. Michael groaned. A devious idea sparked, and he yanked the golden plush from his brother's hands, much to his despair. He then held it in the air above his little brother's grasp.

“I think Fredbear should go back to the woods! It is where he's from, after all.” He sneered, mimicking a throw towards the neighboring patch of forest. Cassidy grabbed hold of his brother, wailing as he fought to retrieve the plush. Michael cackled, backing away as his brother chased him in a circle.

“Stop it, Mike! It's not funny! Give him back!” Cassidy cried, hopping as high as he could. Once Michael noticed his tears stopped surging and his breath back to normal, he chuckled as he lightly tossed the plush towards the trees. Cassidy yelped and stumbled towards it. Michael would eventually think of a better plan to get rid of it. He knew his brother struggled to make friends-his Fredbear plush being his only one-but he would never make any friends lugging around a stuffed animal at nearly seven years old. It was practically social suicide. Cassidy tucked the plush firmly in his arms the moment he gathered it and glared at his older brother. “You're so mean, Mike!”

Cassidy stomped back to Mike and they continued their walk home, now only emitting a few sniffles every now and then as he vigorously rubbed his nose with the back of his arm. Michael stuck his hands into his jean pockets before he spoke, “You know, Father just gets weird about Fazbear. He was just stressed out. Don't worry about it too much.”

“He said they won't have anyone come cause of me.” Cassidy whimpered, his feet kicking the gravel.

“If anything, people won't come because of the shitty pizza. Definitely not because of anything you did.” Michael reassured, prompting a giggle from his brother.

“I don't think the pizza is that shitty.” Cassidy mimicked. Michael shoved his brother's head forward.

“I can say that word, you can't. You're not old enough.” Michael fussed. His brother slapped his hand away.

“No fair! You're not an adult or anything, you're only thirteen.” Cassidy pouted, crossing his arms. Michael snickered as he rammed his shoulder into him.

“Well, when you're thirteen, you can say it.”

His father was working late again, not to Michael's surprise. Though the pizzeria closed at 9 pm, his father would often stay until midnight some nights, maybe even later. His mother had returned home with Elizabeth around 7, placing a box of leftover pizza on the table for dinner then putting the droopy-eyed toddler to bed afterwards. Michael was revolted at the idea of pizza for the third time this week, so he barely picked off some of the toppings to call his dinner. A boy could only handle so much soggy crust in one week, though he’s had enough for his entire lifetime at this point.

With Elizabeth asleep, his mother retreated to her bedroom, as she often did at this time, relying on Michael to watch Cassidy. His father had yet to come home, and neither he nor Cassidy were tired due to it being a Friday night, so they camped in the living room with a pile of blankets and cheese puffs to make up for not being able to stomach their dinner. Michael skimmed their VHS collection to select a movie for the night.

“I don't wanna watch a scary movie. They give me bad dreams.” Cassidy pouted, kicking his feet underneath the blanket. Michael shook his head.

“It's called exposure therapy. We gotta kick this crybaby attitude outta you.” Michael responded, his tongue pushing against his teeth in contemplation as he pondered the horror movie selection. His brother huffed.

“Fine. Can we watch Night of the Living Dead ?” Cassidy pleaded, it being the least frightening movie in their collection. Michael rolled his eyes.

“ No , I hate zombie movies. They're not even scary.” Michael groaned, then placed his index finger and thumb on his chin. “I think you can handle Friday the 13th. ”

“Is it really scary?” Cassidy whispered, pulling the blanket close to cover his neck. Michael shrugged.

“It's not that bad. Besides, it's not like it's real.” Michael assured, inserting the tape into the VHS player. When he saw the end credits appear on the screen and realized he hadn't rolled back the tape after his last watch, he snarled and set it to rewind at maximum speed. Knowing it would reveal the ending to Cassidy, he stood up, and snatched a pillow that his brother was laying on. “You can't look or it'll spoil it.”

“Hey! That's my pillow!” Cassidy shouted before he was promptly silenced by Michael shoving the pillow into his face. Cassidy thrashes, clutching the pillow tightly as he tries to wrestle it away from his face. “Not nice! I can't breathe!”

“If you couldn't breathe, you wouldn't be talking right now.” Michael remarked as a matter-of-fact. He forced his brother down further, glancing over his shoulder at the tv to check the status. Cassidy manages to claw his way out, dramatically gasping as his face hits the air. Michael, knowing the tape is still rewinding, cooks up a malicious plan once he spots his Foxy mask underneath the coffee table. He ducks below it and ties the mask on. “Well, I tried to do this the easy way. This is your fault.”

In a burst, Michael pops out from below the table, arms spread wide as he roars. Cassidy shrieks and swiftly retreats beneath the blanket. “No, Mike! You know I hate Foxy!”

“ Arrrggg ! I do not be knowing this Mike ye speak of, but I, Foxy, Captain of the Seven Seas, have come to take ye eyeball with me hook!” Michael proclaimed in his thickest pirate accent. “Don't ye want to wear an eye patch like me?”

“ No! I! Don't! ” Cassidy cried, curling himself as deeply into the couch as possible. Michael maniacally cackles, yanking at the blanket while Cassidy fusses and kicks back at him.

Once the movie reached the beginning, Michael ceased his brother's torment and slid his mask off. He laughs as he tosses the mask aside, taking hold of his brother's blanket. “Alright, Foxy’s gone. You can come out now, you wuss.”

Cassidy hesitantly peeked his eyes over the blanket to ensure his safety before fully poking his head out. He weakly shoves Michael as he whines, “Not funny!”

The two brothers nestled into their movie-watching pit, Michael wrapping an arm around his brother so Cassidy had something to cling to as the movie flashed frightful scenes. There were certainly moments Michael had underestimated how terrifying they could possibly be to Cassidy, so he made sure to cover his eyes during them. Small steps , he told himself.

As the movie ended, Cassidy’s eyes were bulging out of his head from shock rather than fear. “ It was the mom the whole time? ” He exclaimed while jerking upward. Michael smirked.

“Yep. Pretty cool twist, huh?”

“I don't get it. He's pretty big and can beat her up. Why does he do what she says?” Cassidy asked, his hands clutching his favorite golden bear. Michael sank into the back of the couch.

“Parents can have some pretty powerful control over their kids sometimes.” Michael stated, fighting back a yawn. His stomach jolted as he heard his dog, Sparky, bark, followed by a familiar sound of tires on gravel. He immediately rushed to his feet. “He's home! Hurry, get the bowl and blankets.”

They cleaned up the couch like it was an Olympic sport. By the time they heard keys at the door, Michael was shoving his brother down the hall, pulling him up by his shirt when he would trip on the blanket. They rounded the corner as the door opened then slammed. Michael ensured his brother was in his room, shutting the door behind him, then glued to the walls as he observed his father's movement.

“Blasted Henry! He thinks he's some kind of genius, like we didn't build this business together!” His father hollered, though there remained some hint of his renown class. The ghastly businessman threw his luggage onto the entry table, retreating to the kitchen towards his parent's bedroom. “I deserve just as much, if not more praise than him. He would be nothing without me. This was all my idea, after all.”

Michael peered around the corner to make sure the coast was clear, then tiptoed across the hall to his bedroom door. His fingers managed to brush the doorknob, turning slightly, when his ears were violated by his father, “Michael!”

The teenager winced, his hand curling to a ball. His gut danced as he peeled away from the door and slowly dragged himself towards his father, sweat building along his hairline. His chest heaved with anticipation and he had to remind himself to breathe. The tall, slender man sulked over their couch, nails clawing into the fabric of the backing. Michael avoided eye contact, arms at his side.

“What have I told you about eating on the couch? You've left crumbs everywhere, it's disgusting!” His father reprimanded, firmly grasping the nearest pillow only to shove it back down. “First you ruin the interview, then this? Can't you do anything right? It's like you don't even try to care.”

Michael tucked his head in like a turtle to its shell, grabbing his elbow. “I was gonna clean it up in the morning.” He responded, practically a whisper. His father scoffed and stepped back, running his fingers through his dark brown hair. His hand pressed between his eyebrows as he shook his head.

“I swear, I don't know why I bother to come home at all.” His father remarked, ending in a brief chuckle as he turned away from Michael. “Clean this up. I better not see any traces in the morning.”

Michael stood still with lead for legs while his father stormed away, thrashing his head as he muttered inaudibly under his breath. The teenager's body loosened as the tension crumbled, his face hot and palms clammy. He meticulously combed for every crumb he could spot, checking carefully not to leave any traces of Cassidy and his presence in the living room. Lastly, he gathered his Foxy mask and hurried back to his room.

He shut his door behind him softly, ensuring the knob was twisted as he closed it before letting go. Flinging his mask towards the closet, he released a frustrated grunt, mindful as to not be too loud. He threw himself onto his bed, which paralleled the window, and his hands latched onto the fabric over his chest. Can't you do anything right?

He hissed, sitting up as he formed a fist and started to punch the nearest pillow repeatedly. In his fit of rage, he launched the pillow against the wall, lightly panting afterwards. His doorknob clicked, and he was quick to lay down, his body facing away from the door towards the window. The door creaked as it inched open, and Michael did his best impression of being asleep to avoid further confrontation.

“Mike? Are you awake?” Cassidy whispered. Michael debated answering, gritting his teeth in thought, then huffed exasperatingly.

“What do you want?” Michael hounded as he rotated to face his brother. Cassidy’s hand rattled the doorknob, illuminated by the warm street lamp outside Michael's window, his Fredbear plush tucked into his armpit. He swayed the door slightly as his feet reluctantly shifted.

“Can I sleep with you? I'm scared.” Cassidy mumbled, his head sinking into his shoulders. Michael turned back away.

“You were fine during the movie earlier.” Michael reminded him while clicking his tongue. His little brother scratched the back of his shin with his other foot.

“Yeah, cause you were there.” Cassidy confessed. Michael sighed, tilting his head towards him.

“Fine.” Michael caved, scooting closer to the window. Cassidy giggled as he shut the door and slid into the bed under the blanket. They settled, Michael still facing away, though able to feel the slight warmth at his back. After a few moments of silence, Michael relived today’s moments of his father's disappointment, grinding his teeth. He was interrupted by a poke at his shoulder by a tiny finger.

“Dad isn't mad at you, he's just stressed about Fazbear stuff.” Cassidy murmured, half asleep. Michael bit his lip and dug his nails into his pillow.

“Thanks, Cass.”

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