The Bond

Ch 16

"Bold."/"Bold italic" : animatronic is talking/animatronic is talking in mind

"Normal."/"Normal italic." : human is talking/human is talking in mind

=o^o=

"Let's get out of here."

"We've only been here a day." Michael rolled his eyes in boredom, put the empty glass in the sink and turned around, then stepped into the living room. He glanced around the unfamiliar room, taking in all the decorations. "Huh, I didn't expect Mark's flat to be this neat considering he used to put things carelessly in the past."

"I don't care about that bastard. Get out now."

Michael snorted. "You're angry just because he hugged me—you're the one controlling my body to help us from those scientists? Don't be childish, okay? We have no other choice. At least for a few days, or weeks."

He could imagine Ennard gritting his teeth at the moment, feeling extremely irritated. "To be precise, I have no other choice but to obey you to live with your boyfriend."

"I'm not—he's not my boyfriend anymore," Michael replied with a frown on his face. "And, yes, you are the one with no other choice. I am your 'host' and I can just throw you away like trash."

"Have you ever dated him?"

"Yes."

"Yuck."

Michael said 'heh' slowly, finally choosing to sit on the sofa in the living room. Mark is away now—at work, it seems. Michael didn't know. After Mark offered him to stay here for a while, he took a few things and a set of clothes. They didn't really talk about what had happened before.

One thing Michael regretted was that he couldn't possibly have brought the endoskeleton here.

"Let me out."

"Nope." Michael answered quickly and casually, grabbed an eye patch and then put it on to hide the rotting skin on his left eye which had lost sight of. "I can't let Mark know what happened to me because of you."

"So he knows what happened to your family?"

Michael was silent for a moment, once again frowning. "I think only about my little brother ...." Michael took a deep breath and let it out a little.

"Oh, poor kid."

The eldest Afton actually didn't find any tone in the animatronic's reply, he thought Ennard would mock him again about this. "I don't understand how you found out he died," Michael said quietly.

"Seeing you cry every night in your brother's room gave me enough clues."

The answer made Michael cursed in shame.

"Back on topic," Michael said, shifting their conversation. "You're not leaving my body, not until we get out of here. Too risky."

"Then get out."

Michael snorted. "After a few days, and you just keep quiet while Mark was with us."

"Hm?"

Michael jumped in his seat in shock at the response, he immediately looked back and found Mark standing there with his eyebrows raised upwards—when did that guy come home?

Mark smiled slightly at Michael's surprised expression, showing that he was amused. "Didn't you hear me open the door earlier?"

"No ...," Michael replied quietly and awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck gently.

"I heard you seemed to be talking to someone," Mark said, looking at him curiously as he opened the cap of the mineral water bottle in his hand.

Michael looked at his old friend. "Just a monologue," Michael replied casually.

"Oh?" Mark responded then after drinking, he offered the water to Michael—Michael accepted it happily before drinking it. "Makes me remember that Simon was in the drama club. By the way, have you eaten?"

Michael choked on his drink.

"I—uhm, uh." Michael panicked himself, confused to find the right answer to answer Mark's question. "Yeah—I've eaten, right," Michael said, grinning at Mark.

Mark raised his eyebrows. "That's good then," he replied, then sat down next to Michael and grabbed the television remote. "You wanna watch something, Mike?"

"Anything as long as it's not that cheap soap opera you watched in past."

He ignored Ennard's words, then nodded. "Sure, you own the flat and I'm just a stowaway. Do what you want." Michael pursed his lips as Mark looked at him intensely after that, feeling a little embarrassed and Michael decided to lower his head.

Then he could hear Mark's laugh, and a moment after that he felt his brown hair being tousled.

"I didn't expect you to go from being so self-absorbed to being this sweet, Mike." Mark's words were playful and seductive, Michael felt his cheeks heat up.

"Come on, I was a teenager then," Michael replied shyly, elbowing Mark to keep himself from getting too close.

Mark snorted in amusement. "Sure, whatever you say, Mike."

"I don't like being a third-wheel."

"Don't be joking! I won't back together with this bastard—he left me for the popular girl at my school! I'm just embarrassed that he said that to me after all these years! I couldn't possibly—"

"Fine—fine I understand no need to explain!"

"You started it first." Michael was scowling inwardly, annoyed with Ennard. "You first."

"No need to say it twice."

"You first."

"Afton."

Michael almost giggled because Ennard was starting to resent him if he didn't remember Mark asking what movie they should watch now. "That's up to you," Michael said casually, shrugging his shoulders.

"Okay then," Mark replied, starting to set a film.

"Ennard are you watching too?"

"Don't talk to me. Ennard.exe powering off . . ."

"Insolent."