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“I-I hate snow…”
Henry turned around, seeing Michael- who was top to bottom coated in warm and puffy clothing- and still shivering in the snow. The older man couldn’t help but laugh.
“Who the hell doesn't?” He chuckled brightly. “No use complaining. You wanted to help, didn’t you?”
“Mmhmm…” Michael nodded. His eyes seemed to almost close, as if he was falling asleep.
“You okay?” Henry spoke up, subconsciously noticing they were trudging in deeper snow and he’d have to take bigger strides. “You look ready to pass out on me.”
“Hm?” Michael looked up at Henry, and shook his head. “Oh. N-no. I-I’m g-huh-good-d.”
“Jeez, you’re shivering like a kitten.” Henry laughed. “I need to get you outside more often. I think the heat softened you.”
“H-haha...y-y-yeah.”
They kept walking- not a very long trip, though it sucked without a car. It’s too bad the roads were too snowy, he didn’t want to risk anything. Plus, a little exercise could be good for Michael! He had been complaining about stiff joints, lately.
“All I need are some new screws and gears.” Henry shrugged. “I want to make sure Freddy is in perfect working order again! Maybe work on Foxy a bit, too.”
“Y-yeah.” Michael’s teeth chattered.
It wasn’t long until they reached the tool shop.
“You sure you want to stay out here?” Henry asked. “I’m sure they won’t be grossed out by you, Michael.”
Michael stayed silent, nodding. Henry sighed.
“Whatever you say, kid.”
He headed inside, and purchased some bolts as well as some new gears, spending a little while talking to the cashier about the latest breakthroughs in robotics and AI coding. He bid his farewells, and headed back outside.
Michael had his eyes closed, practically puffed up like a kitten as he leaned against the store. Henry saw him and laughed a bit.
“You sleepin on the job, Kid?”
“Wha?” Michael’s eyes flickered back open- they looked glossy, exhausted. Henry chuckled a bit, now a little more worried.
“Did you sleep last night?” He asked. Michael nodded, rubbing his eyes and prying himself off the wall, now stumbling through the snow again.
“Mmhmm. I did…’swear.” He mumbled, following Henry as the snow crunched beneath their feet.
“Sure doesn’t look like it.” Henry scoffed a bit, shrugging. Eh, it’s the kids fault if he stayed up playin Mario or whatever he does.
As they continued to walk, Michael eventually spoke up in a wheezy, small voice.
“It’s cold…”
“Of course it is!” Henry laughed a bit, looking back at Michael. His smile dropped slightly when he realized how...sickly the kid looked, his eyelids drooping and...you couldn’t see his breath. In this weather, you could see anyone’s breath in the wind! Now that he thinks of it, Henry hasn’t seen Michaels breath at all this whole time… “...you okay?”
“I…” Michael whimpered. His eyes suddenly shut. “C-cold-“
With that, Michael suddenly collapsed into the snow.
“Michael!?”
Henry ran over to Michael, who laid face-first in the snow. He shook the cold, stiff body.
“MICHAEL!? HEY, HEY C'MON KID,” he cried out. When there was no answer, he picked him up.
His face was colorless, almost stuck in the position it was in. Henry felt at his neck, searching desperately for a pulse.
Nothing.
He pressed his ear to his chest to hear the breathing of his adoptive son.
Nothing.
His lungs weren’t taking in any oxygen. His unsteady heartbeat was nonexistent.
“No- nonononono-“ Henry felt his throat close up in grief and panic, and he picked up Michael, cradling him in his arms. What if he could die by snow as well!? What if being too cold could kill him like fire could!? He started to trudge back home, his heart pounding. Michael felt stiff as a corpse...no, don’t think about that.
Crunch crunch crunch.
The snow under his feet seemed to speak a new language as he attempted to quick walk home. The lack of movement, the lack of everything caused Henry’s breath to hitch as he kept walking, having put the grocery bag carrying the new gears around his shoulder.
Crunch crunch crunch.
Henry ended up breaking into a sprint, carrying Michael close to his chest as he hurried home.
Crunch crunch crunch
The speaking of the icey substance got louder as Henry ran, the cold, stiff body in his arms not daring to move a muscle. He screamed internally. His lungs hurt. He could recall when he was younger and William told him a cool fact about how air has to be warmed in a human before entering the lungs, otherwise they'd freeze. What if…?
As soon as he got through the thicket of snow and cold, entering into his warm house, he set Michael down onto the couch along with the new gears, and ran to the bathroom, turning on the hot water. Part of him screamed at the water to heat up faster, to fill up quicker- my son is going to die, dipshit!
As he waited, his heart screamed he had something more important to do. He ran back to the couch, and zipped off Michaels jacket.
“S-sorry, Kid, I-I know you hate your scars, but,” he mumbled more to himself than anything, pulling off Michaels shirt with some difficulty.
He attempted to not look at the gnarled, heavily scarred, disgusting chest that belonged to the kid- half out of respect for the kid, half out of fear for himself. He hadn’t seen the scar too many times, but every time he still felt sick looking at it. No wonder Michael hated it.
He yanked off Michaels pants, leaving the boy in only his boxers.
“But your health is more important to me right now.”
He picked Michael up again, now rushing back to the bathroom, to which the tub was filling with hot water.
He set Michael inside the tub, hoping to god this would work. Please. Please don’t die. Please, you’re all I have...you don’t deserve to go out this way…
Michael remained unconscious for around a minute, to which Henry then started to cry.
“Michael-“ he choked out, now trembling. He felt a lump of grief form in his throat that he couldn’t swallow down. “Please, please don’t do this to me- please… Michael please you have to wake up-“
Henry reached into the tub and grabbed Michaels cold, limp hand.
“Please…”
He squeezed the hand.
The hand squeezed back.
“Wh...wuzzgoinon?”
Henry looked up, eyes wide. Michael...Michael was breathing! He was moving!
“Oh my god, oh my god you’re alive-“ Henry shuttered out, laughing as he sniffed and rubbed at his eyes. He leaned in, grabbing Michael by the back of the head and embracing him, laughing with relief. “Christ, Michael, I was so worried I-I thought you-“
He let go of him, laughing still.
“S-sorry, I forgot you don’t like touch…”
Michael moved slowly, coughing gently and rubbing at his face. He looked at Henry with glassy, confused eyes.
“Wha...wh-wha happened?” He whimpered, looking down. His voice was lazy and quiet. “...why am I takin a bath...”
“Y-you...you passed out when we were walking home…” Henry replied, running a hand along his bald head. “G-god michael, you weren’t breathing a-and you had no pulse I...I-I had to warm you up as soon as possible-“
“S...s-sorry-“
“What!? N-no you’re not allowed to apologize for nearly dying due to something that wasn’t your fault!” Henry scolded. “Why didn’t you tell me you were that cold!?”
“I-I...d..idnt wanna bother you-“
“Bother?” Henry snorted. “Michael I was worried sick! You… we still aren’t 100% on what can and can’t kill you! I-I thought you could freeze to death!”
“S-sorry…”
“Wh- no! Stop...stop apologizing, Mike.” Henry sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Y...you’re fine, okay? I’m sorry for yelling I just…” he looked down, gesturing briefly with his hand. “I was just worried.”
“...were you crying?”
Henry looked at Michael, who seemed a bit worried for him. He laughed and ruffled Michaels wet hair, shaking his head and standing up.
“Tell me if you need anything. I’m gonna get you some warm clothes and a heater for this room- just so when you get out it won’t be cold, okay?” He started to step out of the room. “I’ll have a fire in the fireplace going for you. Don’t go anywhere too close, though.”
“Mmkay…” Michael muttered, letting himself sink further into the hot water. Henry laughed a bit at the snake-like behavior, loving heat like that.
As Henry left, he let out a loud sigh and leaned against the wall.
Christ, this kid was gonna be the death of him.
…
Henry was sitting on the couch, the fire in the fireplace roaring with a protective screen over it. Anxiety pricked at him when a large amount of time went by, but luckily, Michael managed to stumble into the living room, now wearing a sweater and sweatpants. Exhaustion still flowed in his eyes.
“Hey, Kid…! How’re you feeling?” Henry sat upright, pasting on an anxious smile. Michael rubbed at his eyes.
“Cold.” He muttered. Henry laughed a bit.
“Yeah, that’ll happen when you accidentally freeze in a snowstorm.” He chuckled, standing up. “Go ahead and sit on that blanket in front of the fire. Just be careful.”
Michael sat down by the fireplace, crossing his legs and staring into the fire. Henry smiled and grabbed a blanket off of the couch, walking over and draping it on top of Michael, who smiled a bit.
“Th-thank you…” he winced out, grabbing at it and wrapping it tighter around himself. Henry sighed softly and pat his head.
“You’re welcome, Kid.” He breathed out. “You want something warm to drink?”
“...c-can...can I have a pickle?” Michael piped up. Henry started laughing.
“Oh my god…”
“Oh come on! Th-They make me happy…!” Michael laughed.
“You need something warm, Michael! You just literally froze.”
“Y...you can heat the pickle up…?”
Henry laughed harder.
“WHAT!? It’s still a pickle…!”
“O-okay, weirdo.” Henry chuckled, shaking his head. “Anything to drink with that?”
“...j...I…can you just heat up the vinegar with it-“
“MICHAEL-“
“IM WELL AWARE ITS A BAD PRANK AGAINST GOD BUT PLEASE IT TASTES GOOD-“