INFORMATION
Written by: Pinkpony4
Chapter Word Count: 13'664
Published on FanFiction: 22nd of September
Published on AO3: 22nd of September
Chapter 12: Take What Little I Have Left
Michael watched Steve anxiously from his doorway with a dead lightbulb in his hand. While he was glad he had taken the time out of his day to change the lightbulb, he couldn't help but notice that the clock had stuck six-thirty, which was ten minutes over the usual time Steve left for work.
"All righty! Done," Steve announced proudly, jumping down from the metal ladder he had dragged into their room.
"Thank you, Steve," Michael said as he carefully put the dead lightbulb away so it could be disposed of later. "How much?"
Steve turned his nose up at the question. "Usually I'd charge fifty, but since you bought the light and it only took me ten minutes, free of charge. Besides," Steve shot his ceiling a look. "you've only got one light. Be pretty selfish of me to demand money for fixing the only light source you have, wouldn't it?"
"But everyone deserves to be paid for their work," he insisted. "And you're going to be late for work because of me," Michael reminded him, feeling guilty. That Freddy's location was a two-and-a-half hour drive away.
"Ten minutes isn't going to get me fired. Besides, the longer I'm out of that dump, the better," he grumbled, folding the ladder up and carting it into the hall.
Michael followed close behind. "Have things gotten worse?" he asked. After what Jeremy had told him, he had been keeping a close eye on anything to do with the company. So far nothing else had happened since then, but he was still worried. He'd been trying to find any information he could about Henry, but he couldn't find anything aside from the articles about his arrest and release. The man had really had just… disappeared.
Steve sighed. "The owner's always been a problem, but it's gotten worse. I've heard the others talkin' – I think he's gonna lose the business."
"What makes you think that?"
He put the ladder inside the cleaning closet and shut the door. "Well, we've been getting a lot of visitors lately and most of them have been dressed all official-like and carrying clipboards and stuff. He's been pushing us for the past month, but I think it's too late for him. Last night, some of them had a visit and asked me some questions about how we're treated and what we do and all that. I told them the truth since we'd been lying through our teeth during the day and they weren't happy with what I had to say. When they left, I could hear them talking about replacing him. Don't know why they don't just shut the place down, but whatever. I just hope that whoever they replace him with is gonna be semi-decent."
Michael nodded, pondering what he'd been told and trying to come up with an explanation. Steve was right – keeping the place open when it was so far out of town and was (seemingly) not generating much income was a bad move business-wise, so what was their motive? The company always had a reason for doing something, so there had to be a reason. "Maybe it has something to do with the animatronics wandering around. Have you seen the stories?"
Steve paused as they entered Michael's room, staring up at the ceiling as he flicked the light switch to test the light one more time. "No, but I have heard the others gossiping about it after hours. Creeps me out, ya know? I just think about all of those ghost stories of them wandering around at night and killing night guards."
He was tempted to tell Steve that that was true for his own safety, but thought better of it. "Is the place secure?"
"Yep. People have tried to break in to pull off stupid pranks, but they've never managed to get in without the alarm going off."
Interesting. "So they've updated the security," he muttered, more to himself than to Steve. He walked in and picked Geh Ge up from his mattress who was still busy playing with Mangle.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, there were no alarms back then," he answered vaguely, distracted by his bub. "I used to be a night guard back in the nineties. Not fun. You know, one of the places I worked at ran on a generator."
Steve burst into laughter. "You're joking, right? What the Hell– heck?"
"Hmmm, nope. But it was the last place they ever opened before twenty-ten, so it didn't have much funding."
Steve was curious now. "I've never seen an animatronic up close. How big are they?"
"The original four were tall enough to touch the ceiling, but the remakes were about as tall as a doorway."
"Why would they make them that big?"
"I don't know. I guess they wanted them to be visible no matter where you were in the restaurant."
He watched Steve examine the rest of his home, stopping by the bathroom. "Yeah, yeah… I suppose that makes sense," he muttered distractedly. "Hey, Michael, come over here."
He walked over, gently grabbing his bub's hands when he started to pull on his shirt's buttons. "What's wrong?"
"Well your lights workin' fine, but I noticed the electrical socket here is broken. You haven't used it, right?" he asked, pointing at the socket in question. Michael looked at it, a little surprised that he hadn't noticed the state it was in.
"No, not at all. I forgot it was in here, actually."
He nodded. "Good. Don't touch it then; it'll kill ya if you try and stick anything while it's in this state. See that?" Steve pointed at the inside where they could just barely see a piece of copper hanging at an odd angle. "If you plugged anything in there, it would either electrocute you or set the place on fire."
"Thank you, Steve. Are you sure I'm not allowed to pay you?" he asked cheekily.
Steve grinned, clapping him on the back. "Hah! Okay, maybe for the socket. I'll buy one for you on my way to work."
"No that's okay. I can get it myself," he insisted.
"Why bother? It's not out of my way, so it'll be better for both of us. Two birds, ya know?" Steve shrugged, turning on his heel to leave. "And I'm not gonna argue with you on this," he laughed, darting from his room. "I'll see ya tomorrow!"
"Bye!" was all he could shout back because Steve was already down the stairs.
"Baaaah Daaaa!"
Michael looked down, smiling at Geh Ge who was looking up at him with a big grin, some of his tiny teeth just barely visible.
Michael made his way across the room to sit on his mattress as he cuddled him. Geh Ge cooed, reaching up to grab his face but only managing to pat his cheek. Lowering his head, he let his bub grab his nose and hair, making funny faces just to hear him laugh.
He had been stressed out when Ash had told him that babies got all of their teeth by the time they were two or three, so the fact that Geh Ge had twelve already was bizarre. Luckily though, it seemed to have stopped for the time being and he wasn't having any trouble with them.
Time was moving fast – faster than he was used to. In the past, it felt like every day lasted an eternity but now that he had a job, a baby, and… and more friends, the days were flying by. They were halfway through April, and his bub was growing up so fast.
It was overwhelming sometimes, but he'd been adapting to it as best as he could. He found most of his time after work completely invested in Geh Ge and showering him with affection, play, and exercise. Seeing the look on his bub's face every afternoon was always worth the long day away, and it made him feel all warm and fuzzy every time.
Playtime did more than just make his bub laugh, however. Ash had given him a lesson in how babies socialise, explore, and examine the world around them. Now was the time to start spoon-feeding, teaching him how to sit up and use his arms, letting him grab whatever he pleased (within reason), and start playing with block puzzles. It was also a good time to start reading to him, as talking to others was the way babies naturally learned how to do just that. This was also why everyone in the building was now doing their best not to swear around him, even if it was the mildest of curses.
He checked his watch, knowing it was time for dinner for his little bub. He got up and made his way to the kitchen, pulling out a small bowl of yoghurt and mashed banana from the fridge which he sat in the microwave to warm up for three seconds.
He had been instructed to spoon-feed him once a day along with the baby formula. He was to give him a small helping of 'pureed foods' and gradually switch between the two until Geh Ge was only eating the smooth, paste-like food. The texture and appearance were kind of gross to him, but Geh Ge seemed to like it. Things like mashed peas, potato, yoghurt, and fruit were some of the things he had tried, although he'd learned the hard way that Geh Ge hated pineapple.
The one and only time he had tried pineapple had caused his bub to throw up. Michael had panicked and called Ash, who had sprinted up to his room, only to tell him that – no, Geh Ge wasn't having an allergic reaction – he just hated that particular fruit. So far, he hadn't found anything else Geh Ge hated aside from oranges, which he had turned his nose up at before Michael could even raise the spoon to his mouth.
As for Geh Ge's motor movements, they weren't perfect, but he was getting better at moving around. Occasionally he managed to hold onto Mangle while he pulled at its ear as best as he could, but usually he ended up dropping it in the end. When he played with The Rattle he was able to wave it around vigorously before, it too went flying from his fist. This was also around the time Michael had started to notice that Geh Ge was starting to play rough, which meant he also had to teach him how to be gentle.
It was going to be hard work, but for Geh Ge, it was worth it.
The microwave beeped and he pulled the bowl out to sit it on the counter. The biggest problem he faced when he started spoon-feeding Geh Ge was the lack of furniture, as he didn't have a high chair or a table, so he had to improvise. He picked up their blanket from their mattress and folded it as best he could so Geh Ge would have something soft to sit on. Placing it by the wall, he scooted the 'table' closer so his bub could choose to lean on either one.
And by 'table', he meant a chopping board stacked on top of some books on either end which forced him to hunch over it at a painful angle to feed his bub.
He rummaged through their drawers before he found the bib Ms. Olivia had made for Geh Ge and wrapped it around his bub's neck. Everyone had been so generous despite him insisting that they didn't have to do anything for him. Ms. Olivia had made a bib, Alex and Jamie had given him a thick blanket they no longer needed for Geh Ge to play on, and Ash and Steve had offered their support and services even though they really had no reason to.
It was overwhelming. The only other person that had done things for him without prompt had been Jeremy. He wasn't used to it.
Taking the bowl, he set it down on the table and Geh Ge on the blanket before sitting on the other end. His bub grinned, clapping his hands happily as Michael scooped a bit up with the teaspoon he had because he didn't have anything smaller.
"Open wide," he instructed, slowly bringing the spoon closer. Geh Ge did as he was told, eyes filled with excitement like always when it came down to dinner time. His excitement about something so simple was endearing and infectious.
His bub managed to get the food in, albeit sloppily, with some of it running down his chin. "Oops! You've got something there," Michael joked, gently scooping the runaway food up and giving it back.
"How was that? Was it good?" he asked. Geh Ge squealed, clapping his hands and kicking his feet in delight. "Alright, ready for another one? Here it comes!" he cheered, making stupid noises as he did so. He wasn't ashamed at all. Geh Ge took that one down better.
"Well done! Here comes another one."
His bub had a little more trouble there, tilting his head down to try and get everything first. "That's it – all on the spoon; you can do it! There we go."
They went back and forth, Michael eventually doing airplane and train noises while waving the spoon around. The entire time, Geh Ge's eyes were locked onto the spoon and the spoon only.
"Chu chu~!" he cheered, Geh Ge laughing and taking the last spoonful left without making a mess. "Well done, Geh Ge! You did such a good job," he praised, reaching over with his free hand to tickle him under his chin. His bub squealed, wiggling away until he accidentally tipped himself over and squished his face into the blanket. He continued to giggle, turning his head the smallest bit to look at him with one bright, brown eye.
Dammit, he was too cute for this world.
Michael scooped his baby up and put the bowl and teaspoon in the sink for the time being before taking out a water bottle and filling the cap up. Geh Ge managed to take four of the tiny, cap-sized doses without a mess being made. A few seconds later, he started to hiccup. Michael let his bub rest his head on his shoulder as he gently pat his back, helping him through them.
When they left his bub's system, he took his bib off and walked into the bathroom. He gently brushed Geh Ge's teeth, being careful not to push or cut his fingers on them while Geh Ge squirmed. He wasn't a fan of the toothbrush, but it was just something he'd have to get used to over time.
After he was done, he plugged the sink and filled it with warm water. Just as he turned the tap off, Geh Ge needed to have his nappy changed. Taking it off, he wiped him down before gently putting him in the water and throwing the nappy into a nappy bag before dropping it in the bathroom's bin to be taken out later.
He pumped some of the body wash onto his hand and gently started to clean him off, being careful not to get any in his eyes. Geh Ge giggled, splashing his hands in the water and getting him wet, but he didn't mind. He ran his hand through his hair and gently dragged his nails against his scalp, Geh Ge cooing and closing his eyes in response. Michael could remember always liking that when his mother scratched his scalp. It helped him fall asleep whenever he was restless.
Michael finished washing him off but didn't take Geh Ge out until he started to get bored of the water. Once out, he dried him off thoroughly, put a new nappy on, and dressed him up for bed.
Returning to the kitchen, he turned the radio on and switched it to a station that solely played music, not wanting to ruin his good mood. Much to his delight, an old, but familiar song started to play, so he moved to the centre of the room and slowly danced around the limited space he had, one hand holding onto Geh Ge tightly while the other held his small hand out as though they were dancing together. 'Hearts and Flowers'… it had been a long time since he had heard it, but he remembered it well – it had been a song he had learned on the guitar so he could play it for Jeremy while he was at the hospital.
He smiled, holding Geh Ge closer and closing his eyes, slowly rocking side-to-side and humming along. His bub grumbled, starting to go still until his head was slumped against his shoulder. He pulled away and smiled, putting him to bed. Making sure he was comfy, he picked Mangle up and placed it by his side before kissing his forehead.
"Good night, Gregory. I love you."
-o0o-
Getting to work was going to be trickier than usual. Usually, it was a simple walk down the road with some honking cars and chilly winds with no one to worry about but himself. Today, however, was different: he was going to bring Gregory to work.
Normally he wouldn't have but Ash had told him that since he was no longer teething, it would be a good idea to get Gregory exposed to the rest of the world so that he'd be used to being surrounded by strangers. Not only would it help him adapt to the real world, but it would also give him the chance to socialise with others.
And by socialise, he meant stare, squeal, wave, point, coo, and babble at anyone that cared to pay attention to him.
He had told Ms. Olivia about his plan so there was no going back and changing his mind. Besides, he had seen the look of relief on her face; she needed the rest.
Like any day, he got changed, packed his things, and brushed his hair, all while being as silent as a mouse. The only thing different was that he had to pack things for Geh Ge and move him as carefully as he could without waking him. He'd get an earful as punishment if he did.
Managing to swaddle his bub in his old jumper successfully, he double-checked he had everything before leaving his room, locking the door behind him, and making his way out into the world. While it was no longer cold, he still held his bub close to his heart, hoping he could somehow muffle the sound of the cars with his heartbeat and hands.
He was able to get to work without his baby waking up, but that was because of pure, dumb luck; a pothole was being filled in, forcing the road to be closed for the next two hours until it was all dry.
Peering through the window, he saw that – like usual – there was no one in there aside from Daniela. Opening the door, he greeted her: "Good morning."
"Good morning," she mumbled, looking up. It took her a few seconds for her to realise something was different, and when she did, her eyes went wide. With a gasp, she jumped from her seat and rushed over, clasping her hands over her mouth in delight at the sight of Gregory. "Oooooh, aren't you the cutest," she whispered, moving her hand to touch him but quickly pulling it away when he didn't react to her words.
"He's asleep," Michael clarified, which wasn't really needed, but he said it just in case. "I hope it's alright that I brought him in today; I was told taking him out would be good for him."
"Wha– Oh, of course! It's perfectly fine!" A frown briefly appeared on her face, but it disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. "I'm sorry, I just... I've gotta make a phone call real quick. I'm sorry," she repeated
Michael stared at her, confused. "No, no, it's fine. Um, goodbye," he said flatly feeling awkward with how fast she ran from him. Was something wrong? Did he do something wrong?
He sat himself down and put his things away behind the desk before checking everything over. The lockers were empty of lost treasures, the computer had nothing new, and the cameras were clean. He should be happy with that, but he wasn't.
A sense of unease had fallen over him, and he couldn't shake it from his person. And that's when he noticed it: a USB stick with a little cat figurine hanging from it – was plugged into the computer. Daniela must have left it behind.
Despite his better judgement, he opened the files on the USB stick. He shouldn't be a sticky beak – it was none of his business what was going on, but…
But Daniela had been acting strange around him for a while. He first noticed it a week ago, but every time he asked, she deflected his question and excused herself. What if she was avoiding him because she wanted to fire him? He was sure it couldn't be that because he hadn't done anything wrong, but maybe she just found someone else…
He ran a hand through his hair, fighting with himself. He was just being paranoid – if she had a problem with him, she would say so… right? Or was he just telling himself that to make himself feel better?
Biting his lip, he opened the files and looked through them. If he found nothing related to him, he'd leave it at that and just pretend he hadn't seen anything.
Unfortunately, he did.
A Word document had been left behind with his name as the title. Heart beating a little faster, he opened it.
Michael seems nice enough, but it's hard to tell when we only talk ten minutes a day. He's not an asshole when he's tired, though, so that's a good indicator of his personality. Usually short-tempered ass wipes are a nightmare when they're tired, but he mostly looks like he's ready to fall on his face. Maybe he's just too tired to pick fights.
From what I've been told, he's supposedly an arrogant, reckless, bully, but he hasn't told me how to do my job like the last guy here did. He even let those boys go on a warning so they wouldn't get a record. I know what he did when he was a teen, but come on – I can see he's changed, but he seems to think he hasn't.
I'm conflicted about what to do. His baby's stopped teething, so I have to tell him, but I don't want to. What if I fuck him over? He's lost himself. He's let all of his grief and anger consume him. He's cold and apathetic to everyone else's feelings. He's a liar and I know he's twisting my arm about this. If he stands his ground and says no, I'm not firing him like he told me to. That's not fair. If I did, he'd be on the streets, and I can't do that to a single parent. I would have thought he'd understand since he used to be one, but I suppose he had been well off back then. He doesn't know how hard it is these days.
If he says yes and backs out later, I'll make room for him to come back. I can't ditch him like he wants me to. Like he did.
I just don't know what to do. I want to help, but at what cost? He's so old so I know he can't do it by himself. I offered to help, but he turned me down and went on about how dangerous it is. Yeah, but he's happy to throw Michael under the bus.
I want to tell him, but I don't know how to.
That's all that was left. He stared at the screen, confused and scared. Who was this 'He' she kept referring to? Someone she knew, obviously, but what could he want with Michael? Maybe he could be the one to confront her, but then that meant admitting he had invaded her privacy. He should wait and prepare for whatever she was going to tell him or whoever this 'He' was.
That's all he could do.
He closed the document but didn't see anything about him or this 'He', so he closed everything down and removed the USB and sat it next to the mouse so he'd remember to give it back if she didn't realise it was missing beforehand. He would call her, but he didn't have her number.
The only thing he could do now was to try and distract himself from what he'd learned, which was easier said than done. His stomach growled, reminding him not only of his breakfast, but of his stress-eating habits too.
No, he was going to show restraint! Sitting down every day for eight hours was doing little for his health – wolfing down food wouldn't be helping him. His family didn't have the best track record when it came down to food – particularly on his father's side.
It made sense. While his father had been born three years before the nineteen-fifties, that didn't mean the rest of his family was well off after World War Two. Things were still being smoothed over, so the country was a mess, leaving the less fortunate scrabbling in the dirt to try and make a life for themselves.
His grandfather had been a conscripted soldier that had married his grandmother after meeting her once and knocking her up, only marrying her out of a sense of duty to raise his father rather than out of love for his wife, then proceeded to have way too many children that didn't make it very far in life. In the end, out of the eight children that his grandparents had brought into the world, only three hit adulthood. His father, Aunty Allison, and an Uncle he'd never met because his father hated him. From the photos Michael had looked at, his father used to have a bunny named Bonnie, which explained why his father liked rabbits so much.
Anyone would have thought that his father having felt the sting of death so many times would have been more empathetic and compassionate about the lives of others like Michael was, but they would all be dead wrong. It seemed that despite feeling the pain of losing his children, he felt the need to inflict that same pain on anyone he believed had slighted him.
What was that saying? Misery loves company, right?
He rearranged himself and held his bub close, staring at the cameras as though they would answer all of his questions.
Did his father love his mother? Michael knew he was an accident – his mother had admitted it when he asked – so that was the reason they got married, but in the photos of the two, they seemed happy.
It was torturous, thinking about the family he could have had had he just kept his mouth shut. If he hadn't have ratted his mother out after catching her cheating, they wouldn't have been torn apart by the constant fighting and culmination of stress that made his father snap.
He tried to tell himself that it had been an accident, but his father didn't seem that upset once he realised what he'd done. Was it shock? Michael didn't know, and he wasn't going to bother trying.
His father was a monster, regardless of what he felt. No amount of bad days, stress, or grief could justify what he did.
It didn't stop Michael from wondering what life would have been like.
All of a sudden, he wasn't very hungry. He fell back against his seat and stared up at the ceiling, feeling nauseous instead.
He wasn't quite sure how long he just stared, but it must have been long enough for Geh Ge to start stirring in his arms. He immediately sat up and invested all of his attention on his bub. He watched as Geh Ge opened his eyes, only to immediately close them and pull his arms out of his jumper to cover his eyes with his hands. He soothed him, running a hand gently over his head as he rearranged him in his arms. "It's okay, Bub; Daddy's here."
Geh Ge turned his head in his direction before opening his eyes a little slower. "Daaaheea?"
"Yep, I'm right here," he said softly, smiling once Geh Ge met his gaze. The bright lights in the laundromat made his bub's brown eyes glow like honey. "Did you sleep well?"
Instead of answering, Geh Ge looked around, mouth parted in wonder before turning back to Michal with owlish eyes. "Eeeh?" he asked.
"We're at my work, Geh Ge. I work at a laundromat. Pretty cool, huh?" It wasn't, but his bub seemed to think so by the look of delight on his face. Geh Ge started to wiggle in his hands so he set him down on his lap to let him get his bearings. "Do you want to have a look around?" he asked.
"Eaaaahaha!"
"I'll take that as a yes."
The tour should've been short, but Michael dragged it out since it was nine and no one had turned up yet. He had to do something with his time, right?
"And this," he said, pointing at another one of the knobs on the washing machine they were currently examining. "lets us set it to the cycle we want. There's 'quick', 'heavy', 'delicate', and 'casual'. These have pre-set settings that can be changed if you want, but not many bother," he explained. Pointing at the coin slot, he added: "And this is what starts the washing machine for everyone else. We stick coins in there, the machine reads the coin, makes sure it's real, and then starts. Not every washing machine has one of those, though; only the ones at apartments or laundromats do."
Geh Ge mumbled as he talked, eyes focussing on whatever he pointed at. He turned, about to tell him what a dryer was, when the door alarm went off. Looking up, he smiled at the woman that entered. "Good morning," he greeted.
She smiled and returned the gesture, smile growing when Geh Ge met her gaze. He waved at her as best as he could. "Goo awwwwnniin," he said, beaming when she waved back.
"Good job, Gregory," Michael praised, shaking his small hand. "You did it!"
Geh Ge looked at him curiously, then back to the girl, then back to him again, before he laughed, clapping his hands. Whether he understood him or not, Michael didn't know, but he was happy, so that's all that matters.
He returned to his desk and pulled out his bub's breakfast just as he started to fuss. Geh Ge was very punctual when it came to food, it seemed.
The bottle wasn't as warm as it usually was, but it wasn't freezing cold either, so that was better than nothing. Readjusting him in his arms, he raised the bottle to Geh Ge's lips and he latched on and started to drink, watching Michael's every movement to see if he was doing a good job. He smiled and nodded, making his bub grin around the nub.
Michael kept one eye on the woman in the cameras and the other on Geh Ge, but she didn't get up to anything fishy. By the time she had left Geh Ge was done, and this time Michael didn't have to burp him. "Good job; you took it nice and slow, just like I asked."
Geh Ge grinned before leaning his head against his chest, looking around. Michael reached down and pulled out Mangle from Geh Ge's bag, waving it to get his attention. His reaction was immediate, and his bub started to grunt, brows furrowed as he reached out for his toy. Before he handed it over, however, Michael wanted one thing. "Say 'ta'," he ordered. Geh Ge grunted, lower lip quivering the longer Mangle remained out of his hold, but Michael was determined to teach his bub good manners. Geh Ge understood what he was asking – this had been something they'd been working on for a few weeks – but Mangle was a tough case.
His bub started to whine, kicking his legs in distress, but Michael didn't hand it over. "Say 'ta'."
Geh Ge huffed. "Taaa!" he yelled, giving him a forceful kick that didn't really do anything. Michael frowned.
"Hey, now… don't be mean. Gentle, gentle," he said slowly, lowering the toy down. While he wasn't happy with his attitude, his bub had done what he asked. He'd just have to teach him how to be more polite when asking for things.
As soon as Mangle was in his arms, the grumpy look disappeared and was replaced by delight as he immediately started pulling its ears. Teaching him how to be gentle was going to be hard – he could already tell – but he'd manage. He had to.
He'd thought that with him occupied, he could go back to 'working', but Geh Ge caught sight of the New Thing sitting out of reach and decided that Mangle wasn't as interesting anymore. Dropping it, he started to reach for the New Thing on Michael's desk. He sighed, pushing the USB away and getting up to pick Mangle back up. Right, it was time to make a play area for him.
It was natural for him to start trying to pick everything up, but that also meant sticking things that shouldn't be put in mouths, in his mouth, so he had to keep a close eye on his bub just to make sure. He had hoped that Geh Ge would just be content in his lap with Mangle, but he'd been a fool to think that was going to work.
Well, to the floor they went, then.
After scrutinising it for a second, he grabbed the vacuum from the cleaning closet in the bathroom and cleaned the floor, deciding that he may as well do the entire room rather than just the area around his desk. Geh Ge raised his hands and pushed them against his ears, screwing his face up. This vacuum was not as quiet as the one back home.
Once that was done, he put it away and grabbed the bag that had his bub's things in it. He pulled the little old blanket Jamie and Alex had given to him out, and set it down neatly on the ground before sitting down himself. He took out the remaining toys and spread them out around them, and then sat Geh Ge down on the mat, letting his bub lean against his legs for support.
"Alright, Bub. Playtime!" he cheered.
Geh Ge looked around at the vast array of toys, wondering what to pick. There was The Rattle, Mangle, the wooden horse, some blocks with letters and numbers on them (which were too big for his bub to lift), and a little wooden box with shapes carved out on its surface. Similarly shaped pieces of polished wood were sitting next to it, ready to be dropped in.
Geh Ge decided that the shaped pieces were the most interesting, so he reached over to grab them, falling on his stomach in the process. Not at all deterred, he grabbed the circle-shaped one in his tiny fist and dragged it towards him. Michael reached down and helped his bub back up so he could inspect this New Thing comfortably.
He turned it in his hands, passing it from one to the other, before trying to stick it in his mouth. He could only get the side of the stick in to chew on, and while Michael was sure he couldn't swallow it, he couldn't say for certain that his bub wouldn't get a splinter or bite a small piece off and accidentally choke.
(Which was highly unlikely as the blocks were smooth and varnished so chipping was impossible without some muscle, but Michael had to be vigilant.)
He gently placed his hand on top of Geh Ge's and pushed the block away, but he didn't take it. Geh Ge leaned back to look up at him in confusion. Michael shook his head. "No, Gregory; you'll choke."
Geh Ge didn't fully understand 'no' or 'stop' yet, but he knew it would take time for his bub to learn. He just had to be patient, gentle, and graceful enough to handle a tantrum if his bub threw one in public.
Geh Ge turned the block in his hands slowly before looking at the box with the shapes in it, then up at Michael. He only smiled, wondering if his bub would be able to piece everything together without him. Just in case he was willing to try, he pulled the box closer.
Slowly, looking between him and the box, Geh Ge turned the block up until he was looking at the top, before pointing hesitantly at the circular-shaped hole. He nodded, delighted when Geh Ge leaned forward as best as he could and tried to stick the piece in. He reached down and put his hands around his bub's torso to help him stay upright so Geh Ge could put all his attention on this puzzle.
His hands were shaky and jerky, making it hard for him to drop it in. After the fifth failed attempt, he started to whimper, looking to Michael for help. Gently taking the hand holding the block, he guided it to the circle, moved it in his bub's hold, then let go. Just like that, it fell through with a clatter. Geh Ge gasped in surprise, pointing at it as he looked at Michael with his mouth and eyes opened wide with shock.
Michael laughed, clapping his hands. "Yeah, it's gone! Well done, Gregory," he praised, brushing his hand through his soft, short hair. Geh Ge babbled and turned back to the box, quickly growing distressed when he realised he couldn't get the piece back out.
Thinking quickly, Michael reached over and grabbed the star piece, waving it in Geh Ge's line of sight. "It's okay. Lookie here; another piece! Do you know where to put it?" he asked.
The distraction worked like he hoped, and Geh Ge took the piece from his hand and started to play with it. Like last time, he stuck the New Thing inside his mouth and chewed, making Michael push it away again. He tapped on the lid of the box, humming.
Geh Ge looked at it and mumbled, raising the block up and dropping it in the circle hole, but it bounced off instead. "Heuuh?"
Michael struggled not to burst into laughter as he watched his baby's bewildered expression grow as he tried to push the star through with no results. Huffing, he pulled it close and looked it over, spotting the odd shape. Tilting his head to the side, he pointed at the star-shaped hole and looked at Michael for confirmation. He nodded.
Geh Ge clapped his hands, squealing at his success when it fell through after six tries, Michael joining in, showering him with praise. Geh Ge seemed to be a very fast learner.
They played like that until Geh Ge started to yawn, nodding off in his arms. "Nap time?" he suggested, picking his bub up anyway. Geh Ge slurred out a response drool running down his cheek as his eyes drooped. "Yep, nap time it is."
Wiping up the drool, he tucked Geh Ge back inside his jumper. Holding him close, he rocked him from side to side, letting Geh Ge rest in his arms until he drifted away. Michael felt like drifting away too, but he had to clean everything up.
It was difficult to clean up the play area, but he managed to get everything in the bag. He was also able to wash off the tubs and cutlery from breakfast in the bathroom so they would be dry when lunch rolled around. By the time he sat back down with Geh Ge in his lap, the woman from before came back and transferred her clothes to the dryer. She gave him a nod of acknowledgment before she left.
The rest of the day was quiet. He turned the TV off after a while as it had been playing ads for thirty minutes straight with nothing else, so he was left with nothing but the rumble of machinery and their breathing.
A few more people came in, completely silent aside from one man who was having an argument with someone over his phone, but he wasn't being disruptive. He kept an eye on the cameras, but everyone was behaving themselves. Then everyone was gone and he was left to twiddle his thumbs and drift into dreamland.
Geh Ge eventually woke up crying after Michael had changed his nappy, and he could only guess that it was because he was hungry. Sighing, he threw the used nappy into a nappy bag and took it outside to throw it in the bin in the back alley. After that, he sat back down and bent over, retrieving the little tub and teaspoon from his bag, along with his bub's bib.
He wrapped it around Geh Ge's neck and sat him on the desk. With one hand holding his back to keep him upright, he twisted his hand to pop the lid off and scoop up a bit of the yoghurt up.
"Here you go, Bub. It's okay," he shushed, holding the spoon up to his face. Geh Ge opened his eyes, cries dying down once he recognised what was in front of him. A little too eagerly, he shot forward and stuck the spoon in his mouth. Luckily, Michael was fast enough to pull the spoon back before it hit the back of his bub's throat. That wouldn't go down well.
"Easy there; be patient," he said softly, taking his time to scoop up another spoonful, only letting Geh Ge have more once he swallowed.
They went back and forth until everything was gone, Michael gently coercing Geh Ge to be gentle and to take his time. It didn't do much, as he ended up with hiccups not long after Michael had put the lid back on the empty tub, but there was an attempt. Taking him off the desk and wiping a bit of the yoghurt that had gotten on his face away, he took his bib off and rested Geh Ge against his chest, tapping his back until they went away.
Geh Ge grumbled, reaching up to pick at one of the buttons on Michael's shirt as he looked up at him, a smile growing on his face. Michael returned it. "Hey, you. Feeling better?" His bub tilted his head to the side, humming in confusion, making him chuckle. "I'll take that as a 'yes'. Do you feel like playing?" he asked.
Geh Ge's crying fit had left him tired. He leaned into him, giving him the answer he needed. "Alright. Daddy's going to have lunch, okay?" Not receiving any sort of objection he reached down and pulled out his own lunch and began to eat.
Or more like scoff it down, making Geh Ge look at him. He swallowed after a particularly large bite and gently pat his head. "Don't follow my example, Bub – you could choke." Geh Ge only blinked at him, owlish expression not leaving until he was finished with his food. He made sure to slow down now that he was being watched.
Once he was finished he got up to clean their containers and sat them on the desk to dry. He decided to turn on the TV, handing Mangle to Geh Ge when he started to get restless. While he chewed on the toy's ear, Michael paid close attention to the TV until it switched to what he really wanted: the news.
"We've received more reports about those monsters roaming around. One was apparently caught jumping on people's roofs! Take a look at this."
He leaned forward, eyes widening when the video was blown up to show a slender figure leaping from a roof. Most of it was impossible to see, but the familiar white stripes and the permanently smiling face of the Marionette were unmistakable.
"It seems to be benign, since one resident reported that they walked outside and came face to face with it. Instead of attacking, however, it raised its hands up and ran away in surprise. Imagine that! But just because this one seems friendly, doesn't mean the others are. Another resident reported that they were taking out their trash when they saw a pair of green eyes across the road. When they shined their lights on it, it jumped out and screamed at him. While the police investigated the area, they were unable to find a trace. Remember, if you see these things, do NOT approach them. Call your nearest police station immediately. As for Fazbear Entertainment, they still refuse to comment on these sightings."
Go figure. He sighed, shutting the TV back off and slumped against his chair, frustration bubbling in him. Logically, they should be addressing these things so that they can at least look like they were trying to help, but they were still up to their old, corrupt ways.
Oh, how they had fallen.
They hadn't always been corrupt, believe it or not. He could remember back in the early, early days, things were rather smooth. Life-threatening springlock suits aside, it used to have some level of integrity and transparency. After all, anyone that was getting into a springlock suit was fully aware of the consequences if they fucked up, so they couldn't sue the company if something happened. While yes, it was still somewhat shady, it was done to avoid getting slammed with a lawsuit.
His father was (ironically) the first one to suffer a springlock failure. It had been an accident, but he'd gotten hurt regardless. If he didn't know how they worked, he would have surely died back then, but he managed to get himself out since he hadn't been wearing the head at the time. That and Henry and his father made themselves the test dummies, so any mistakes were on them alone.
The first and only time they had failed when being worn in their prime was because when they had tightened the locks, they had missed only one. His father put it on and moved just the wrong way, causing a chain reaction. His father's shrieks of agony had Michael having nightmares for weeks afterwards since he'd only been four at the time, and loved him very much. So much in fact, that after every nightmare he would bolt into his parents' room and scurry into their bed just to reassure himself that he was, in fact, safe and alive.
God, Michael wished he hadn't loved the bastard so much back then.
After that, a light had been installed inside every springlock, which flashed red when they were loose and turned green when they were locked in place so they couldn't be missed.
Contrary to popular belief, if they were wound tight until everything was green, they couldn't snap loose at all, no matter how many hits were taken. Even if you dumped them in water, they wouldn't break – the warning about them killing you was made purely so that employees would make sure to triple-check that everything was in order.
But all it took was one loose lock in Fredbear's jaw to cause it to snap. If it had been wound properly… That's why his father had taken his anger out on Charlie. Henry was in charge of keeping the ones on stage in order. If everything had been double-checked, Evan would still be around.
But he wasn't innocent. He was at fault for what had happened. It wasn't Henry's fault; how could he have ever expected anyone to put their head inside his jaw?
It was a different story if the endo itself was rusted and forgotten. The springs were fragile, and the metal was so much more deadly. His father was a smart man – even if he was in a panic, he would have wound the locks tight if he planned to get in. The old thing had only crushed him because it had been neglected for so long.
His father should have known that.
But, oh well. Karma had caught up to his father and now he was paying the price. If only Michael had been successful in taking him down…
Before he knew it, only one other customer turned up before it was time for him to go back home. He packed his things up quickly and picked up Daniela's USB just to make sure she remembered to take it.
"Good afternoon," he greeted, Geh Ge attempting to repeat him with a wave.
Daniela's moody look switched instantly and she rushed over. "Helloooo," she cooed, waving her hand above his bub's face. Geh Ge tried to grab her fingers, but she pulled them away before he could. "Oh, aren't you just the cutest thing I've ever seen! Hello, Gregory; my name's Daniela. Can you say that?" she asked.
Michael held back his frown, unnerved. "Da… Daaee," he tried, pointing at Michael instead.
He chuckled. "No, not Daddy. Daniela."
Geh Ge looked at him, confused. "Daaa eeee."
"Dawww, that's okay," Daniela said, standing upright. "How was he?"
"Very curious at first, but he wasn't very interested after his nap," he summarised, gently squeezing his bub's hand.
She sighed, that odd look from this morning returning. "That's nice," she mumbled.
"You, umm," he waved the USB in the air. "You forgot this."
A look of pure alarm appeared on her face and she snatched it from him. "I left it behind? Uh, you didn't snoop, did you?" she asked, bristling up in case her answer wasn't what she wanted.
"No," he lied easily. "Why? Is something wrong?"
Daniela couldn't quite look him in the eyes. "Nothing… I'm just… I've been feeling awful for a while."
"Oh. Are you sick?" he asked, trying to prompt her into saying something she shouldn't.
"No. Just nervous."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"I'm… I don't want you to go to work tomorrow."
A wave of panic flooded through him. "Wha– are you firing me?"
She shot her head up, shaking it vigorously. "No! No… I've just arranged a meeting with you and someone I know that's looking for someone with your… skills."
His temperature spiked. "You did this without telling me. Why and who?"
"You don't have to worry! He's my great uncle – he's just been looking for someone like you, so I wanted to help him."
It was a lie. Even she knew whoever this man was, was not to be trusted. "What's his name?"
She squeezed her eyes shut. "H–Henry Emily," she bit out. "But he's been going by Henry Cross… you know – his wife's maiden name."
He held on to Geh Ge closely, feeling like all the air in the room was gone. "Do– do–do you… do you have ANY idea what you've done? Dammit," he hissed, gripping his hair with his free hand. He had to keep himself under control. "Is that why you ran off for a phone call? You wanted to rat me out? There's a reason I've been hiding from him!" She'd compromised not only his safety but Geh Ge's as well.
He had a lot to say, but he bit his tongue and held it back. His uncle was a manipulative prick, and she'd fallen for his lies. Before he could lose his head, he brushed past her, storming from the building. All he heard from her was a muffled apology. It didn't matter – that wasn't going to make up for this fuck up.
-o0o-
He couldn't quite remember how he got home because his mind was running ahead faster than his own two feet. All he knew was that he ran into someone – maybe Ash – on the way to his room, not stopping until the door was slammed shut behind him. His whole world was spinning, and he couldn't get in enough air and his heart was beating so fast that he was sure he had just brushed with death again.
His poor legs were unable to hold him up anymore. They caved in, letting him hit the hard floor with little grace. The pain that shot through his knees was just barely enough to snap him out of whatever state he was in so he could hear Geh Ge crying. Leaning against the wall, he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to get in as much air as he could because it felt like he couldn't breathe at all.
But he just couldn't breathe and everything was blurring, and his eyes were burning, and–
The door suddenly opened and he shouted, scurrying back in alarm. Stepping through the door wasn't Henry but… Ash?
Their eyes met, and Michael didn't want to know what the look on Ash's face meant.
Ash rushed over, dropping in front of him and placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "Michael? Mike? Hey, can you hear me?"
Unable to talk, he only nodded.
"Alright. Do you understand me?"
Again, he nodded.
"Okay, okay," Ash took a deep breath, holding his hands out. "Michael, I know you're scared, but you need to give Gregory to me. I'll go get Ms. Olivia; she'll take care of him."
Michael shrunk away, leaning away from his hands at that. "N-n-no."
"Michael, I promise he'll be okay, but right now, you're not. Please, it'll be okay. Come on, it's alright," Ash soothed. He turned his head towards the door. "Ms. Olivia! Come, quickly!"
He could hear her quick shuffling feet and the sound of her door bouncing on her wall just as she appeared in his doorway. She stared at him, then at Ash, then at Geh Ge. Without a word, she stepped forward and held out her hands. "It's alright, Dearie. Gregory and I will be right here."
Hesitantly, he handed his crying bub to Ms. Olivia, who immediately started to settle him down. The sight had the lump in his throat grow and before he could stop himself, he burst into tears. Not wanting to be seen, he covered his face with his hands as best as he could. He should be the one calming his bub down, not anyone else. What was wrong with him? He was supposed to be brave and strong for Geh Ge, not breaking down into a mess like this.
Ash sat down next and wrapped his arm around him, rubbing deep circles into his back. "Take as long as you need, Michael. It'll be okay," he whispered. How could he know? He didn't even know why he was crying in the first place.
Taking his hand, Ash squeezed it. "Breathe with me, alright? You're gonna faint if you keep that up," he joked half-heartedly. It gave him enough energy to do as he was asked. Forcing his eyes open, he tipped his head back and stared at the ceiling, trying to stop himself from gulping down air like he was, but the sudden onset of hiccups wasn't helping. Despite that, Ash just encouraged him. "That's it. Focus on breathing, and breathing only. Then we can talk."
Talk. Talk? What could he possibly say to explain his hysteria?
"Ms. Olivia, can you get some water, please? That'll help."
Not long later, his water bottle was pushed into his hands. Shakily, he unscrewed the lid and drank. It was a struggle not to take the whole thing down in go, but Ash was there to push his hand away. The rush of water to his system cooled him down and cleared his head enough for him to focus on his breathing a little easier.
"Try not to think about anything else. Just breathe."
He nodded, closing his eyes and letting his ears do the work. Geh Ge had stopped crying so all he could hear was the three of them and Ms. Olivia's feet shuffling on the ground. He raised a hand to his nose and popped his ears, wincing at the ache that followed.
After what felt like years, he was finally able to open his stinging eyes. Rubbing them, he sat up a little straighter.
"That's better. Now, what happened?"
Michael looked at the two of them, then at Geh Ge. Geh Ge stared at him with big, worried eyes. "I-I-I just–" he paused, taking another deep breath. Collecting his thoughts, he began to talk slowly. "Something happened at work. It was all fine at first, but when Daniela came back, she told me didn't want me to be there tomorrow. She said she wasn't firing me but… but now someone's after me."
Ms. Olivia looked alarmed. "Who?"
He ran his fingers through his hair, tightening his grip enough to start pulling it. The pain helped him think. "My uncle. I've been trying to get away from both him and anything to do with him, but she's related to him and told him where I was and now he's going to visit me and I don't want to see him because he's a horrible, selfish man and he'll force me to do things I don't want to do and he'll gaslight me like he always did when I was a kid and I don't want him around me or Gregory and I know he's going to ruin everything and he's already taken so much away from me and– and…"
Ash squeezed his shoulder. "That's all we need to hear. When's he getting here?"
"I don't know."
"Do you think you're in danger?"
"Yes. No. I don't know," he mumbled. "He'll be furious when he finds out I have Gregory. I know that much." Because if Michael had a child, that meant Henry couldn't use him as easily as before.
"Why?"
"He doesn't think… I haven't talked to him in years, but I just know that he'll believe I'll be a horrible parent. I'm… I'm not well put together mentally. I'm a lot better than I used to be, but some things they set me off. He thinks I'm… less than because I'm sick."
Ash scowled, a dark look crossing his eyes. "What sort of sick? Do you hallucinate?"
"Y-yes, but I've been getting better, and only certain things make me have my episodes, so I know what to avoid, and I've never hurt anyone." Okay, that last part was a lie, but his father was a different ball game. "Ever since I've had Gregory, I've been doing leagues better than before, and I've pushed myself to be a better person and to do the right thing for him, but I know that my uncle won't see it. He's always hated me, and I don't know why."
Ash nodded, taking in every word closely. "I see. How old is he?"
"He's in his seventies."
Ash snorted. "Right. That explains his backward views. I understand the concern when it comes to kids and the mentally ill, but you wouldn't have been able to have Gregory in your care if you weren't stable, so it's fine."
He nodded, avoiding his gaze. Would that be true for him? He doubted it – a single father without the proper funds to even buy a table that was also ill and lived in a sketchy area? Yeah right.
"If you're scared of him, I can stay up here with you, if that's alright. Give you some backup for when he shows up," Ash offered.
Michael looked at him, confused. "Why?"
Ash stared. "Why? Well, why not? You need help, and I like helping people. If it means I get to stick it to a short-sighted old coot, then that's just a bonus!" he laughed.
A small smile grew on his face. "I'll think about it. For now, I-I just want to get myself sorted out."
Ash stood and held out a hand to help Michael stand. "'Course! I'll come running if you change your mind. Do you want any help?"
He thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Yes please."
Ms. Olivia was the one to wash Geh Ge that evening while Ash helped Michael clean off their tubs, cutlery, and his bub's toys. After that, he helped him make something warm and filling for dinner while Ms. Olivia played with Geh Ge in the background.
"I'm sorry I don't have anywhere for you to sit," he told them, giving them a set of knives and forks along with their plates.
"That's perfectly alright, Dearie," Ms. Olivia told him, handing Geh Ge over to Michael. She set her plate down on the counter to eat there while Ash sat on the floor.
Michael joined him there, holding his bub close. "I'm sorry for making you cry," he said, pressing a kiss to Geh Ge's forehead. "I shouldn't have gotten so upset, Sweetheart. I'm sorry," he mumbled. Geh Ge's worried look faded away and was replaced with his beaming smile, and it settled his nerves a bit.
But it didn't take away the nauseous guilt that writhed in his gut.
The three of them finished their meal but Michael Geh Ge decided that it was his turn to eat. Ash took their plates and started to wash everything down while Michael sat Geh Ge down at their makeshift chopping board table. Ms. Olivia found Geh Ge's food and handed it over.
This time, it was yoghurt and mashed mango. "You ready?" he asked, Geh Ge nodded vigorously.
Michael felt a little bit embarrassed about feeding his bub purely because he couldn't stop making funny noises, but their giggling was in good humour. "I forgot how much I loved doing that," Ms. Olivia whispered to Ash, who hummed in agreement.
A bit of mango was running down his chin, but Michael managed to catch it with the teaspoon. "Hey, now; all on the spoon, alright? Don't want to make too much of a mess, do we?"
Geh Ge giggled, disagreeing with him. He very much did want to make a mess. Shaking his head, Michael scooped up the very last dregs left and Geh Ge took it happily. "How was that?"
"Haaa beee gooo."
"Haaa beee gooo, hmmm? I guess it really was good, wasn't it?" he joked, standing up and dropping the little bowl and teaspoon in the sink filled with soapy water. He turned to Ash and Ms. Olivia. "Thank you for tonight. I really appreciate it."
"We're happy to help!" Ash said cheerfully, putting his hands on his hips. It seemed that all of his awkwardness disappeared when it came down to helping others.
"Do you feel better?" Ms. Olivia asked.
He nodded. "Much better."
Ms. Olivia held her arms out, inviting him in for a hug with a warm smile. He stepped forward and after a bit of hesitation, he hugged her, being careful not to squish Geh Ge. After a few seconds, he was surprised to feel Ash joining in. He relaxed once Ash looped an arm around him, accepting his presence.
He closed his eyes, relishing in the unfamiliar warmth of another's arms. It had been far too long.
All too soon, they parted and Ash waited for Michael's answer. He took a deep breath, thinking over his options. On one hand, having Ash around would keep him semi-calm enough to tell Henry to piss off, but on the other, if Henry told Ash about his father… God knows how he would react.
"I'll be fine. Thank you again. Both of you."
"If you're sure. We'll see you in the morning," Ash said slowly, still looking worried.
"Good luck, Dearie," Ms. Olivia added, squeezing his hand before letting go.
"Thank you. Good night."
They left his room, Ash looking back one last time before he shut the door behind him. Michael checked to make sure it was locked before he returned his attention to Geh Ge. His bub seemed content now, nuzzled close to his heart and staring up at him with loving eyes.
"Love you," Michael mumbled, tickling his cheek. Geh Ge giggled, batting his fingers away playfully as he stuck his free hand in his mouth.
"Ove ou, daaadeee," he babbled.
Everything would be okay. He hoped.
No, it would be okay. There was no other option for them. No matter what, Henry wasn't going to ruin his life again, and he certainly wasn't going to let him ruin Geh Ge's either.
He played with Geh Ge until his bub drifted off to dreamland, letting Michael have a shower and get ready for bed. After turning the lights off, he nestled down under their blanket and sat his phone down by the bed. Resting one hand over his bub protectively, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
-o0o-
The first thing to wake him up was his phone buzzing behind him. He rolled over and declined the call without checking who the caller was. If they wanted him, they could call him in the morning.
But then he heard footsteps.
He screwed his eyes shut, frowning. Whoever was moving around was unusually loud. No one in their apartment moved like that.
Then there was a knock at his door.
He sat up with a jolt, rolling off the mattress before he could tell himself to be careful. He shot a look behind him, but he didn't hear Geh Ge stir. Swallowing, he grabbed his phone and turned it on, using it to find the switchblade he had under his pillow. Flicking it out, he approached the door slowly as the stranger knocked again.
Peering through the peephole, he could see an old man standing on the other side, a hat tipped over his head to hide his face. The cap did little for him, as Michael knew who it was. Gritting his teeth, he unlocked the door and slowly pulled it open just enough to poke his head through.
They met each other's eyes, one looking significantly unenthusiastic about their meeting more than the other.
"What?" Michael snapped, keeping his voice low enough not to wake Geh Ge. It had to be… what? One in the morning?
"Can I come in?" Uncle Henry asked.
"No."
Uncle Henry sighed on the other end. "I know we–"
Before he could continue, Michael stepped out into the hall and shut the door behind him, looking down at his uncle. "Just tell me what you want out of me."
His uncle took a step back, eyes filled with fear for the briefest moment. Now he knew why he'd hit him back in the laundromat. "You don't seem very happy," he muttered, irritated by Michael's disposition. That didn't matter. If Henry was expecting open arms, he was sorely mistaken.
"You're the last person I want to see right now."
"Really? The last? I would've thought tha–"
"Oh, I'd rather be standing in front of my father rather than you right now," he interrupted, crossing his arms. "Why are you here?"
Uncle Henry adjusted his crooked glasses. "Right down to business then? That's fine. I need your help."
Michael scowled. "That's all I need to hear. My answer is 'no'."
"What? I haven't even told you what I want!" Henry barked, standing up as tall as he could. "I know you may be upset with me, but that's no need to turn me down without hearing me out."
He shook his head, letting a bitter chuckle escape him. "Oh, I know what your offer is – you want me to stick my neck out again, don't you?"
"I see you've been keeping an eye on the news. Good. Then you'll know how important this is. We need to put them to rest once and for all."
Michael leaned against the door, taking a deep breath. If he lost his temper, his uncle would just use it against him. "You think I haven't been trying to do that this entire time? This may come as a surprise to you, but while you've been sitting in a cell for thirty years, I've been constantly on the move trying to finish what you started and nearly getting gutted whenever I try."
Henry pursed his cracked lips, ignoring his jab. "And why have you stopped now? I thought I'd find you working at the Freddy's down the highway, but you weren't there. What are you up to now?"
"I've put that behind me. There are things in my life that are far more important right now."
"More– more important? Michael, these kids are our responsibility! We need to free them. Nothing is more important than that!" Henry rasped, nearly rendered speechless by Michael's answer.
"I've told you already; I've got a family now, and they come first."
"Family? Family? What about your family that is still out there? Your mother, your sister, your father – they're all still trapped!"
"And they're all dead. They've lost their minds now and while I want to free them, I'm not putting my life on the line. I need to put the living first."
"I thought you wanted to free them."
"I did, but I've changed, Uncle. I'm done," he said as calmly but firmly as he could.
"No, Michael, you promised," Uncle Henry growled, stepping forward. "You don't just get to walk away."
He swallowed, letting his mind run through everything he had wanted to say for so long. "Promised? Yeah, I did – when I was nineteen. I promised when I had nothing to live for anymore. I was suicidal and depressed and wanted some sort of way to redeem myself and you made it out as though the only way to do that was to spend the rest of my life throwing myself into life-threatening scenarios on the slim chance something may work. But I've grown, Henry. I've had thirty years to mull everything over – to think about what has happened and come to terms with it, and I realised that I have something to live for now, and I'm letting go."
Henry's eyes scanned his face before going over the rest of him. "I don't see any sort of wedding ring, and I saw a notice saying that no pets were allowed here. Surely some strangers you've only known for a few months aren't as important as this, are they?"
He shook his head. "It's not just them. I have someone that's the most important person in the world to me, and I'm not letting you separate us. I've given you my answer: I'm not risking my life when he needs me."
Henry scoffed. "He? They need you."
"No. You need me."
A tense silence fell between them, neither willing to back down or change their mind. Michael was the first to break it, everything he had wanted to say since he was thirty tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop it.
"You didn't have to find me back then. You didn't have to worm your way into my head and tell me that the only way I could redeem myself was to risk my life. You didn't have to tell me that the only reason those kids were dead was because of me." He took a deep breath. It was now or never. "You've been using me. You could have done what I did; you knew more about all of this madness than I did at the time. You shoved me in front of those Toy animatronics without telling me what they were programmed to do once they spotted my father. You could've gotten me killed! Do you have any idea how close to death I was every single time they even glanced in my direction? You didn't send me in there to 'fix' or 'free' anything; you sent me in there to be a guinea pig!"
He was going too far. His temperature was rising and his heart was beating fast, but he needed to ask the question that he wasn't able to answer himself. "I saw those cameras – you would've seen Spring Bonnie in them, clear as day. There are only two people on this Earth that can put those suits on without outside assistance, and it was you and William, but you didn't say anything. Again and again and again! They were led away, and you didn't say anything. Why didn't you say anything?!"
His emotions had gotten a hold of him, but he couldn't hold back his tears. "If you said something, the police would have listed him as a suspect again. Then he could have been stopped. So many would still be alive, and then there wouldn't be so much pain. Why, Uncle?"
Henry wasn't looking at him anymore. Michael knew he shouldn't say what he was about to, but there was no stopping them now. "Charlie… I've wondered if you would have done anything at all if she'd never died," he muttered. "She'd be furious with you if she knew."
Henry's head snapped up to meet his gaze with barely contained fury burning within. "Don't you dare, Michael. You don't know anything!"
"I don't? I know about Elizabeth. I know about my mother. I know about Evan. I did what I could to help."
"You could've turned him in."
Michael couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter at that. "What? I'd just been taken out of a mental hospital. If I ran to the nearest station and started ranting about how my 'loving' father was actually a serial killer, they would have thrown me back in. Everyone loved you two – no one would have believed me, and you know it. Don't try and pin the blame on me."
"None of this would have happened if you hadn't pulled off that stupid prank!"
"No, it would have happened eventually. He's always been mad. I saw him murder my mother – he would have snapped one day regardless, and it could've been anyone."
Henry didn't bat an eye at the mention of his mother. Another tell that told him he didn't really care about his feelings on the matter. "I know that–"
Whatever he had been about to say was cut off by a cry. Instinctively, Michael whirled around and ran back into his room, dropping down by the mattress and taking his bub's hand into his own. He was so focussed on Geh Ge that it was almost as though his uncle didn't exist at all. "It's okay, Gregory. Daddy's here," he shushed, gently rocking him away from the nightmare he was trapped in. "It's alright, Bub. Come on, wake up for me and you'll be safe."
After a moment, Geh Ge's eyes fluttered open but the tears and wails didn't stop. Michael sat on the mattress as he scooped his bub into his arms, bouncing him and petting his head to try and comfort him. "Shhh… It's okay. Daddy's right here, see? You're safe. Daddy's got you. Shhh."
Geh Ge slowly started to calm down, cries dying until they were merely sniffles. After a while, he met Michael's gaze and gave him a wobbly smile, bottom lip still trembling. "That's it."
His bub's smile grew to be more genuine as he reached for him. Michael lowered his head and closed his eyes, letting Geh Ge touch his face. He grumbled in confusion when his fingers ran across a runaway tear on Michael's face, but he let his bub examine this New Thing.
He was vaguely aware that Henry had entered his home uninvited, but he didn't bother to look at him. His secret was out now.
"He… he's not yours… is he?" Henry whispered in disbelief. Michael didn't need to look to know how pale his uncle had gotten. He could hear it in his voice.
Michael didn't entertain the question. Instead, he just turned towards him and nodded.
Once again, Henry's eyes fell over him, lingering on his left hand. Michael bristled at the silent accusation. "Don't insult me like that! I'm not stupid enough to fool around and knock someone up."
"I didn't say anything," he muttered, looking at Geh Ge.
"…He's adopted," he muttered, looking back down at his little boy.
Henry let out an almost insane laugh. "What on Earth possessed you to adopt a child? Michael, what's wrong with you?"
"I don't need a reason to adopt a child! I wanted to give him a better life than the one he would have had. What's bad about that?"
Henry clenched and unclenched his fists in frustration. "You're not well! You're not safe! You'll hurt him!"
Michael stiffened, blood rushing to his ears. "Shut up. You don't know anything about this world. We're not in the nineties anymore! I'd die before I hurt him. He means more to me than you'll ever know."
"You can say that as much as you want, Mike, but William seemed normal, didn't he? What makes you think you won't cave like he did?" Henry snapped.
He felt like he'd been punched in the gut. What if he did turn into his father? What if he shouted at Geh Ge just for being a child and doing stupid things? What if he turned into an overbearing control freak that– No! It wasn't true; he wouldn't go down that path. Henry was just trying to plant those seeds of doubt in his head again.
He wouldn't let him warp his perception of reality anymore. "You're wrong. I'll protect him with my life, which is why I'm not going to help you. I… I want to free the others, but Gregory needs me more than they do. He's actually alive, and I intend to keep it that way. We both know what happens when work is put before kids. It happened to Evan, Elizabeth, and Charlie. I'm not going to be negligent like you two."
Henry bristled about to shout something, but he suddenly stopped. He looked around their room, an odd look crossing his features. "No adoption centre worth its salt would let a child fall into the arms of someone that can't even afford a bad frame," he sneered. "Where are his papers?"
His heart skipped. "Papers?"
"His adoption papers. I want to see them."
Shit. "I… I don't have them," he admitted, looking away.
"Why not?"
"Henry, if I didn't take him in, he would have died, alright? I had no choice!"
"You kidnapped him?!"
"No. Keep your voice down!" he snapped, glancing at the door. "Look, I found him in a locker in December. He was freezing to death. He needed me."
"You should have called the police," Henry said, as though he hadn't even heard him.
"I know, but… but I set Fazbear's Fright on fire. I wasn't that far away from the crime scene, so if I called them, they would have brought me in for questioning. And when I found him I just… I couldn't just leave him. He was so cold and scared…" he whispered, too tired to fight.
For the briefest moment, Henry looked sorry, but it was gone just as fast as it appeared. "Well, then this will work in my favour," he said a little too cheerfully, immediately setting off alarm bells in Michael's head. "Since you refuse to help me, I'll just call the police and tell them you've kidnapped a child."
"WHAT?!" Michael shouted, jumping up. Geh Ge yelped in surprise, looking between them quickly. "You can't!"
Henry continued on as though he hadn't heard him. "I managed to find a forger to change my name so I could travel without being found. Do this job – help me set the children free – then I can have them make all the papers you'd need."
"You… you're blackmailing me," he whispered in disbelief. "What if I die doing this job? What'll happen to Gregory then?"
"He'll go into the foster care system, I suppose."
Michael was mortified. "You- you really don't care about us, do you?"
His uncle looked him right in the eye. "No, I don't. He's not mine, and you've always been a problem. If you're happy to raise him in your state, then you can, but don't be surprised if he has as many screws loose as you when he gets older."
He knew that he was crying again, even though he was trying so hard to keep himself together. "Why? Why do you hate me so much?"
Henry ignored his question. "So; are you going to help me or not."
Michael looked at Geh Ge, holding back a sob. "F-fine. I'll do it. But not for you or for the others. Just for him."
"I don't care as long as you're in," he said, dropping an envelope at Michael's feet. "Everything you need to know is in there. I hope you'll be there on time." With that, he turned and slowly walked away from his home.
Henry had turned into his father. The only difference was that Henry hadn't killed anyone. Manipulative, self-centred, cold, apathetic, and cruel…
Michael stood on shaky legs and followed him, grabbing onto the door and glaring at him through his blurry vision. "Don't worry, I will be, William," he snarled before slamming the door shut.
He took a great amount of petty satisfaction from seeing the look on his face, but it was short-lived.
Locking the door once more, he slumped against it and slowly slid to the ground. Holding his bub close, he pulled his knees up to his chest and leaned into one of his arms. He was so tired of crying, but he couldn't stop.
So he cried until he eventually joined Gregory in sleep, fainting right on the cold, hard floor.
TO BE CONTINUED…