Chapter Text
Michael shot up choking on a frantic gasp. Bloodshot eyes darted around the room searching for something that wasn't there. He grasped the comforter with clammy fists shuddering heavily, feeling sick to his stomach. The sound of mechanical jaws snapping shut rung in his ears. He tensed up putting his hands over his ears trying fruitlessly to block out the phantom sound. The noise bounced around inside his head endlessly. Never leaving, never giving Michael a break. Not that he deserved one. He'd done this to himself, he deserved every bad thing he got. What kind of a person kills their own brother? Who could do that? Who could be so cruel? He was a terrible person and he knew it. He'd destroyed the only good thing left in his life and there was nothing he could do to fix it, his actions were final.
Although the actual incident had happened months ago, Michael was plagued with dreams and memories of the events. The crunch of his brother's skull as it was crushed between metal jaws. The warm blood that had splattered onto his face. The way his brother had cried and begged to be let go. It felt as if it had only happened moments ago.
“Wow, your brother is kind of a baby isn't he?” Michael and his friends were circled around the crying boy taunting him.
“It's hilarious.” Michael had barked out laughing at his younger brother's pain like some kind of monster. “Why don't we help him get a closer look! He will love it!” He'd suggested cruelly, smiling under his foxy mask.
“No! Please!” His brother had begged, fat tears rolling down his reddened cheeks. But his pleas fell on deaf ears.
“Come on guys, let's give this little man a lift. He wants to get up close and personal!” Michael said, prompting the group to lift the crying child up despite the boys struggling.
“No! I don't want to go!” He cried in pure, genuine fear. He didn't want to go.
“You heard the little man! He wants to get even closer!” Michael laughed cruelly truly wanting to see his little brother suffer. The kid hadn't hurt a day in his life, it was time for him to grow up. The animatronic bear was singing some dumb song that would never leave Michael's head. “Hey guys, I think the little man said he wants to give Fredbear a big kiss!” He didn't even understand why his brother was so scared of the dumb animatronic. “On three! One… two…” They lifted the boy into the bear's mouth and- CRUNCH.
Michael could barely live with himself. Why hadn’t he just let him go? His little brother had done nothing to deserve the torment Michael subjected him to. Michael knew this now, and he regretfully had to admit that he had known back then too. Sure his brother had cried a lot, too much to be normal but he was just a kid with his whole life ahead of him and Michael had to go and take that away. An innocent soul taken just so Michael could have a laugh with his mates. His brother had been kind and innocent something Michael could never be. He realized that the only reason he'd even bullied his brother the way that he did was because he envied him. He had everything he wanted, at least that's what Michael thought.
After Elizabeth had gone missing all of his father's attention was given to Michael's younger brother. All of his love, all of his kindness, what little the man had, was given to the boy. And Michael was left on the sidelines any attention he was given was negative. But Michael saw now that his father's love was a curse that no one would survive. So perhaps he was lucky that his father didn't love him.
Michael shuddered and rubbed his eyes with his palms, shivering at the coldness of the house, so devoid of life. He exhaled no longer choking on his breaths and looked up to meet the eerie stare of his little brother's plush bear. Michael hadn't meant to take it from his little brother. He'd actually grabbed it from the boy's room to bring it to him in the hospital. He knew he would want it once he woke up.
Michael walked downstairs to ask his father if he could visit his brother in the hospital, he felt incredibly guilty for what he'd done. He swore when his brother woke up he'd never be mean to him ever again. But he stopped in his tracks. His father was sitting on the couch, crying. He never cried. The only time Michael had seen him cry was on the day Lizzy went missing. A cold feeling settled in his chest as he took a hesitant step forward.
“Uhm… father are you okay?” He'd asked warily only to be met with a cold dead glare from his father. Those icy eyes stared into his soul, making him squirm.
“I hope you're happy Michael, you killed him.” He spat out.
“What?” Michael felt his heart drop. Everything felt fuzzy.
“He's dead, Michael. The only good thing I had left and you took him from me.” His father snarled standing up suddenly, looming over Michael. His little brother was dead and it was all his fault. Michael broke down crying, the guilt and sadness unbearable.
“Oh don't go crying now! Isn’t this what you wanted?!” Father had yelled. Michael stumbled backwards, barely registering the words his father was saying. “Go to your room, Michael.” He seethed solemnly. The boy didn't move. “I said go to your room dammit!” He roared making Michael jump and then turn tail and book it up the stairs back into his room.
Michael sniffed and made a grab for the plush, hugging it to his chest. The thing had creeped him out when his brother was still alive, it felt almost alive. Whenever he was in the room with it he felt as though he were being watched. But now it was his only source of comfort in his cold grey world. He still felt watched by it but now it felt good to think at least somebody saw him. Truly saw him.
Michael slowly loosened his grip on the bear, looking over to his bedside table to see that it was six in the morning, too late to go back to sleep at that point and he may as well have gotten ready for school at that point. Even though he'd slept almost the entire night through, Michael felt as if he hadn't slept in weeks. Everything felt the same anyways.
Since the bite, Michael had been floating through life. He didn't have any friends anymore. It appeared that they were too scared to talk to him, not after what had happened. Even though they’d been just as much a part of it as he was. They were probably scared he would snap or something and throw one of them in the mouth of an animatronic. He was known to have a temper. However, after the bite, all of the anger and resentment he'd carried had drained out of him and now there was just a dull emptiness left inside. But nobody dared get close enough to see that.
Michael got up and walked downstairs silently.
His father had left and hadn’t come back a while ago. He didn't know how long it had been, what with every day feeling the same. Mike however was used to this. He was actually kind of glad that he was gone. He remembered walking downstairs a couple of weeks after Evan’s death and pouring some coffee for his father who had just walked into the kitchen.
“Here Father, I made your coffee.” The teen said plainly, handing his father the cup. Before everything, Michael would have given his father attitude, but now that it was just them two left. He was terrified of that man. William took a sip of the coffee grimacing after.
“Michael this tastes terrible.” He complained bitterly, smacking his son on the back of the head before wordlessly leaving the room, taking the ‘terrible’ coffee with him. Michael gritted his teeth, rolling his eyes while rubbing the back of his head. Lately, his father found every excuse to get mad at him. The smallest thing like a light being left on would send him into a rage. So Michael tried to stay out of his way. He didn't want to spend time with his father anyway.