I've seen the FNAF movie EIGHT TIMES NOW on Peacock. :D :3 (and whatever the emoji for the rose is; that's how devoted I've become and how damned good the film is). Also, both halves of the chapter title are separate once again and note that "Downpour" from the previous chapter has been switched from previously to now because of the content taking place in this one. Feel free to see the new title of the last chapter.

Chapter Eight

Downpour, Eternal Flame

He tossed and turned last night after getting back in with the guys, and Jeremy who was always a light sleeper grumbled and turned in his direction, wanting to know if he took a leak or just couldn't sleep. "Yeah, couldn't sleep," Michael whispered, lying back on Jeremy's left and turning into him.

The blond rolled over to face him. Sean Jr. was out and snoring like a log as if he'd taken a sleeping pill he brought with him. "Wet dream or something you can't remember that you still had to go off and jerk off?" Jeremy asked with a smirk that made Michael jolt a little and almost sit upright.

"Jer, don't let the boss hear us!" the dark-haired man hissed.

"Okay, okay! But don't think I haven't noticed." Jeremy winked. "You and Kaleia. Guessin' you and her finally got busy out there?" he asked with a snicker.

"No, it wasn't like that! Call it her telling me I didn't have to talk about what I didn't want about myself, one thing leading to another, and then she made the first move of admitting attraction to me." Jeremy whistled and came close to saying he knew it when Michael lightly slapped his arm to make him shut up. "I mean, how could I not be the same? She's so damn smart, sexy, she's nothing I'd seen before, and the fact Mom likes her makes it easy. Kaleia is certifiable."

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "Certifiable?"

Michael nodded, dumbstruck that he had to use that word. "Certifiably exquisite. It was like it was plucked right out of my heart before she even knew it." His cheeks heated up. "She let me eat her out."

His bud swallowed down his impending giggle fits, acting like the juvenile they both used to be. Once he calmed down after clearing his throat and snorting a few times, he knew just what to say. "And now I see the issue. Knew it all along, man. You want to get serious with her, but what's holding you back?"

"Oh, come on, it's obvious."

"Yeah, Mason. But let me tell you something, Mike: she wants you, that's between you two. I say go for it and not be afraid. As for the boss man, the worst that can happen is him going above and beyond to just make sure you don't hurt his granddaughter. Admit it, you want her more than you deserve." And Michael settled on closing his eyes because he knew Jeremy was right about everything.

"Yeah, even though I think I shouldn't. I wouldn't know how to tell her the truth about me. What happened in Hurricane should stay there. What if she looks at me like everyone else did?"

Jeremy snorted, looking up at the tent roof with him. "You play shit too safely for your own good, you know that? I know all about risk-taking. I have a feeling that you hurt her feelings good, and that's a douche thing to do." He then turned his gaze towards Michael and narrowed his eyes. "You better go and say you're sorry for whatever you said and did out there."

~o~

She could just take a run around with Melinda down the path, and she did just that while telling her sister figure everything that happened last night. Melinda's reactions and responses were as expected: "Let me get this straight. You and he had a heart-to-heart, you admit attraction, then he eats you out but you saw each other naked before that, and it ends with him chickening out understandably because of his past - which we both know, but he doesn't know we know - and because your grandpa is his boss and he hasn't been working for him that long."

"Yes to all," Kaleia mumbled, needing to stop and rest. Her muscles were on fire, her lungs tight and fighting for oxygen. She hadn't realized she'd come close to pushing herself.

"I know you, too," Melinda went on, joining her for a seat on the wooden bench which was one of many placed out here for joggers, "because you won't push him about his past. Though you DO want more with him despite saying it might go nowhere."

Kaleia couldn't speak, her silence being the answer for the other woman. "Thought so. So whatcha gonna do now?" Melinda asked, wiping her face with the rag she'd brought with her, handing the other woman hers.

"Just ready to go out fishing with Grandpa and the boys. Gives me time to plan."

~o~

Yeah, fishing for trout now, on the dock and with nothing but the brewed canned goodness. The girls were with them and taking turns. And she's avoiding me. Or was she?

Jeremy was adamant, and he agreed, about going up to her and saying he was sorry for being an asshole and a coward, so yeah, he felt he ruined the rest of the vacation for them both. Or did he?

"Damn, I don't like the looks of those clouds," Mason grumbled from the end of the wooden walkway. "Was supposed to be good up until after the fourth passed, but hell, Mother Nature always knows better than us." Michael grunted in agreement, focusing his attention on the line out there on the water, the bait below the surface and awaiting its fate. Anything to not pay attention to the goddess who was beside him, in denim overalls with rich, colorful embroidery at the ends of the legs, hair in a high, sleek ponytail.

Gotta talk to her, if I would just stop being a chickenshit.

Another big issue: he'd have to seize an opportunity without coming off as suspicious, again, to Mason and both Seans.

The opportunity presented itself when Kaleia shouted with joy she got something on her hook. "I GOT SOMETHING!" she shouted happily, instantly jumping to her feet, but when she did, she shrieked and slipped, losing hold of her line and going down into the lake water.

Chaos ensued, with everyone shouting her name, Michael included, but also shouting different things at once that they all intermingled. All he could think about was one thing, throwing down his own fishing pole and charging the short distance, diving headfirst into the water even though it wasn't that deep. Maybe it was his body's way of thinking and his natural fear.

The water covering him was cold, despite this time of year. He sucked in a breath, holding it and swimming around beneath the surface, noting he was barely two feet under. But as for the girl he'd impulsively dove in for -

She was already swimming up to the surface and helped up by Jeremy and Sean Jr., much to Michael's embarrassment.

"Seriously, man, she's fine!" Junior told him with a guffaw, bending forward at the waist. "Not like we were in the ocean or anything!"

Jeremy then helped Michael out, the latter hoisting himself up and shaking himself up. Water splashed all over the dock and joined the puddle left behind Kaleia who wrung out her long hair which she'd pulled out of its tie, then retied. Michael kept his eyes on her while trying not to stare, wringing out his shirt and what he could of his shorts. He had never been so embarrassed. What was he thinking?

'Cuz you were afraid of her accidentally drowning.

Melinda offered her friend a towel she'd rushed to get, Mason laughing his hide off while also asking her if she was okay and Sean Sr. just standing off to the side, having too much fun with what he was seeing.

The fun was cut short when there was rumbling overhead, and the sky quickly turning dark. "Oh, hell, I knew this was gonna happen," Mason grumbled. "Alright, everyone get to the camp and get everything ready to go. We head to the camp and pack everything as fast as we can, then get to shelter to wait out the storm. If it doesn't pass, you know what that means."

Everyone knew and groaned collectively like a bunch of school kids. They might not spend the Fourth of July, after all, and it sucked ass.

Shitty end to what was supposed to be a slice-of-life trip.

And back to camp they were with lightning speed, first making sure not to slip on the water on the planks. And moments ago, they were all relaxing and fishing for trout, then Kaleia slipped after snagging a prospect only for Michael to humiliate himself trying to save her, and now the weather bombed on them even though Mason predicted based on his eyes. Michael helped Junior with the tent they shared with Jeremy, who was rushing the coolers back to Senior's vehicle while Mason and the girls shoved everything back into theirs, his granddaughter wrapped up in a towel and uncomfortable in those wet overalls of hers. Michael tried his hardest not to think about what else had been wet the previous night.

The winds became murderous as time went on. Damn, it was almost like a tornado was blowing their way. The once-calm lake was now rippling and waving like a mild tsunami. The ladies' hair went wild in every direction before they got to safety under the car roof. Michael thought he was gonna be pulled off his feet into who knew where, dying or being seriously injured wherever he landed.

"And they say it's worse in Florida, and back in Hawaii, where Mace and Akela come from," Sean Sr. grumbled when they were all together in the minivan. "Hadn't been there since a vacation ages ago with my late wife, when their youngest daughter tied the knot, but I remember. Junior was barely in preschool years when we took him with us."

The rain heavily patterned against the windshield before the wipers swiped them off and kept at it while the driver followed the other car out of here, sloshing the mud outwardly on both sides.

~o~

"My, you're all home earlier than expected, but then again, I'm not surprised," Grandma exclaimed as soon as they all walked through the doors. Sean Sr. and Jr. just headed on home, Jeremy and Mike leaving together, but they would all meet up again tomorrow night someplace as soon as they knew the rain would subside. What a freakshow that had been.

Grandpa snorted, kissing her on the brow. "The damn storm caught us unawares, but it was fun while it lasted, hon." He chuckled, turning his attention back to Kaleia and Melinda. "And before that pisser hit, someone wound up becoming a drowned rat."

Yep, that was Kaleia herself, and she was more than ready to get out of these clingy, rough, damn clothes and have a nice, hot shower before climbing into her pink and black flannel gown. Anything to make herself feel better, especially after - after a certain someone became a chicken shit, and we didn't even get to talk it through. I even got his phone number because his mother gave it to me, but I never used it. She must have had a look on her face because it was noticed.

"Honey, whatever is on your mind?" Mason asked, then turning his attention to Melinda when she spoke up like the badass she was, knowing the plight.

"She told me already, 'cuz you know, but it's hers to tell, guys." Melinda then left the kitchen so grandparents and granddaughter would have the time to themselves.

Melinda said nothing because this was between her and the grandparents, instead wishing them luck.

"This calls for Grandma's red hibiscus chamomile," Akela announced, not taking no for an answer, and set about the kitchen to do the job. Kaleia was about to sit before she remembered her state. "And Kaleia, girl, better go take care of yourself first, because I have a feeling we're in for a long chat."

Hell to the yes, Kaleia could definitely hop into that shower. So she zipped right away to the bathroom near her and Melinda - Grandma and Grandpa had one in their bedroom - which had the bamboo-finished cabinets, a vibrant shower curtain of green and teal ferns, red glossy goodness, and ivory plumerias, and frosted windows for privacy. That, along with her washing set of pomegranates and peonies which were also her natural aroma regularly since she was in high school, and once she was done, her hair was dried enough with a towel for her to run the brush through the locks, smoothing them out and letting them fall down her back to finish air drying.

And now it's time to tell them, to ask for help if they both get it. But Grandpa...he's Mike's boss.

She was back in the kitchen just as Grandma Akela finished the tea, and Melinda was still back in her room. Grandpa Mason smiled at her as she came in, before getting slightly serious. "Darling," he said, "you know we raised you, so we both know you've been troubled since this morning."

Yeah, and just like that... "Yeah, but it's hard to talk about because Mike...it's...complicated..."

Akela clicked her tongue, bringing the dark maroon liquid to them, each of them having an olive green porcelain cup while the rest was in the matching teapot. "I already knew that was coming."

"Like I said, it's hard," Kaleia insisted, throat tightening. She reached to wipe the corners of her eyes, stopping the tears only to feel more start. "But he works for you, Grandpa, and he worries about the worst, so..."

~o~

"I really like her, Ma."

"Then why the hell did you do that to her, boy?" Clara demanded, not shouting but not calm either, which was scary enough that it made him flinch. They were in the living room when he decided it was eating away enough at him that he couldn't keep it in anymore.

Uncle Henry was hardly better. "Kaleia seems like a good woman, but you just about broke her heart. I won't be surprised if it's hardened at all, since that's how it is with women. They take these things much harder than we do." He shook his head. "She most likely didn't mean it when she said she would leave things as they were before that conversation, because it's usually a guise for wanting more. Michael, you made a mess of things."

"Not gonna disagree with that, Mikey," Clara added, crossing a jeaned leg over the other. "Women are smarter than you give them credit for, and they say one thing when they want another. Reverse psychology. I know a lot happened to you, but there comes a time when something good is in front of you because it doesn't come around all the time." She then scooched closer to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"You're just gonna have to march up to her and tell her you're sorry. Or if I know how this works, she'll already do that."

Great, similar pep talk with Jeremy, but it was all he had.

Okay, he was gonna talk to her, and it came sooner than he could act on it.

He would overhear that she was visiting her grandfather at his office because she had a last-minute call to the hospital for a couple of patients, and when she was finished, she drove by in the car that had been her parents'. Sean Jr. had the annoying nerve if for the right reasons, to tell him this while he was in a dirty wifebeater and changing the oil of this Mercedes. He was almost done when he realized he needed a breather and some water, but it was coming along and would go back to its owner before the day ended. Michael was just taking off his thick gloves for the moment, stuffing them into the pouch of his utility belt, and going to grab the Aquafina when he heard his name called by a familiar voice.

He turned around just in time to see her, having completed her business with her grandfather.

He didn't pay attention to what she was wearing, only her face. Nothing else mattered but her and what he would say. Well, actually, her scrubs she had yet to change out of, that iridescent mother-of-pearl hibiscus brooch on one side of the neck and matching earrings, evoking Hawaii's beaches and cloudy skies.

How funny they had both been at work, but one cleaner than the other.

"This a bad time?" Kaleia asked, unfazed by his messier state and displaying a soft glitter in her near-onyx irises.

"Uh, no. Not at all. This baby's almost done, but I could spare a few minutes -"

"Actually, longer than a few minutes," she interjected, looking past his shoulder then, and he followed it to see Jeremy walking by with a wink and then a firm line in his mouth as he silently warned him to not screw up again; the blond was carrying a medium-sized tire under one arm and a pair of replacement headlights in the other. "Take a good guess what this is about."

Michael led the way, bringing her over to his workstation. He hoped it wouldn't take longer than expected, because Mason was still his boss, after all. "If it's what I'm thinking of, yeah, I've been thinking about it. I was a jackass that night, and there's no excuse. I really am sorry for everything, but it's not enough." He took a breath without making a big deal. No buildup, just cut to the chase.

"You can go first if you want." Ladies first.

"I told Grandma and Grandpa we were interested, but left you know what out," Kaleia said in a hushed voice. "They're not gonna butt into anything, but they both agree it's unhealthy to just sit on the sidelines, play it safe. It never works out. They also know a thing or two about dark pasts, if you have anything like that, but I told you before it's your choice to say anything. Right now, this is about you and me.

"It's been a day, but it feels like it had been much longer than that. I feel like it started back at the hospital when we bonded over certain things -" Like Freddy's, but she doesn't know who I am. "- and it reached its peak that night. I truly don't want something short-lived and not working out. I'm in for seeing where it goes. Everything feels like do or die, all or nothing. Especially after you've seen and experienced war like I did."

Goddamn it, why was it so hard? He had good reasons to keep the wall around himself, but Mom and Uncle Henry were also right. Life was too short, there was no changing the past, and there was learning from mistakes. There was this girl who had been there for him while he pulled through from a near-fatal attack, had treated him like a human being, didn't judge him except to make sure he did what he was supposed to not much differently from when Clara would - and loved Foxy the most.

He was an asshole and a coward, but it was gonna stop, starting here. "Not to be rude again, Kaleia," Michael said gently, "but I hear you. Except you didn't go through what I did back in Hurricane. I should trust you with it, but you might look at me differently. That's why my mother and Henry took me far away from there."

"So I forgive that, and your previous assholery." He just about choked on his laughter he swallowed. Not quite as serious as it should have been taken, but it would do. "But would you...forgive me for a secret I've known all along even though I said it was yours to tell?" She leaned in then, the fire roaring but not in the way it still lingered between them. Her voice grew softer. "What happened years ago wasn't your fault...Michael Afton."

His blood went cold.

Never been to Utah in my life, to be perfectly honest. My boyfriend said reading this himself gave him a bit of nostalgia since he lived in Florida in his early years.

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