The Peace of Death - a Michael Afton fanfic

Liz

a/n: no one in this fandom knows wtf is going on w the lore. don't tell me im wrong this is fanfic if i say it's true then it is for this story :D (also this is me trying by taylor swift goes hard especially with this chapter omgg)

Michael POV:

I feel a rush of emotions surge through me when I hear this. I had just come to accept my death, which was no easy task. I struggled to look at Morana's intense amber eyes; their energy was already so intimidating to be around with their practically glowing olive skin and six-foot tall figure. Not to mention I had made Death herself cry. What a feat, I think to myself dismally. 

I had come to terms with the fact that I was dead, but I was so busy doing so that it hadn't even occurred to me that I would be able to see my dead siblings. I didn't bother trying to hide the mix of joy and intense anxiety I felt. 

"Where are they?" I ask quietly. 

Morona gestures towards the cottage. I take a deep breath and stand up, suddenly too jittery with anxiety to sit. Morana stands up too. My hands are shaking. Shit. I'm not ready for this. I can't do this. I want to see them so badly, I want to restore our relationship but It's probably too late. I don't want to face them. Not after all that happened between us.

"Morana--" I can't even get words out. 

She looks at me with kindness and sadness in her gaze. Brushing her black ringlets out of her face she puts her hands on my shoulders, the heat radiating from her, warming my entire body. I don't think they grasp how powerful their energy is, it's almost too much to bear at times. 

"It's going to happen eventually, you can't avoid it. You're going to spend eternity with them anyways." 

Despite the heat of her raw power warming my shoulders where her hands are placed, I felt a chill of nervousness run down my spine. All I want is for us to be a family again. I wonder if they know it was our own father that caused all this mess. 

I finally find it in me to speak. I even try to hold eye contact.

"I want to see them so bad...but what if...they...hate me?"

I inhale deeply, desperately trying to keep my voice from cracking with emotion. 

"They might. You can do this now while I'm here, or you can do it later if you like. I might not be here, I do have other work to do. But they're always going to be here, this is eternity you know."

She was abundantly clear. It was best I do this now. She was right after all, we were going to be here forever....

"If it makes you feel better, time doesn't exist here. Which has allowed me to talk with them and get them settled in before I fetched your soul," she added in an attempt to comfort me.  

All I can do is nod. And then I begin focusing on walking towards the cottage. One step at time. Morana stands next to me, the force of their aura now beginning to feel empowering instead of intimidating. If think if I could be nauseous here, I would be right now. I walk up the stairs, the emotions inside me fighting with each other. I glance at Morana one last time as we stand in front of the door. She gives a reassuring nod and I find the courage to knock. A quick pounding  of feet comes from inside, the sound becoming louder and louder as they approach the door. Just before the door is flung open, a child excitedly yells, "Morara!" The door opens. Standing there is my little sister, Elizabeth. At the sight of me, she quickly loses her elated expression, her eyes widen, and the color drains from her face. She looks like a porcelain doll standing there, skin pale with shock in her pretty pink dress, her golden hair tied up with a bow. She blinks several times, and the color slowly returns to her face. My mouth is dry. This is happening. I missed her so much. Even though I was kind of an asshole to her when I was younger, I hoped she missed me too. 

"Mike..?" She says timidly, breaking the heavy silence between us. 

"Hey, Liz...it's been a while..."

Then I remember the last time I saw her. When she was in Circus Baby. 

Suddenly I can't breath. I'm back in the scooping room. I feel the wires around the neck, my arms, holding me in place. I can't tell what's memory and what's present reality anymore. My ears are filled with the sound of my own screams and I can hear my heartbeat is racing in my ears. Circus Baby's glowing eyes bore into mine, I'm about to die, there's nothing I can do, all I can feel is the pure terror, the despair, trying to breathe but failing, I'm about to die--

And then I remember. I'm already dead. I mentally come back to the present reality I didn't know I had left. 

"Mike? Are you okay?" Elizabeth asks in a small voice. 

I do my best to smile down at her, pushing the memory away.  

"Yeah..."

We stand simply looking at each other for a moment when, without warning, Elizabeth runs up to me and throws her arms around my waist, now crying hysterically. 

"I'm sorry Mike! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" Her speaking becomes faster and more unintelligible as she begins to cry harder.

I'm stand there frozen, still recovering from the flashback and caught off guard by Elizabeth's hug. Then I feel Morana's warm hand on my arm, encouraging me, and I'm back in control of my previously frozen body. 

I remove Elizabeth from me so I can get down to her level and then I pull her into a tight embrace, hot tears leaking from my eyes. 

"It's okay Liz, I forgive you. That wasn't you. It's okay." 

She keeps crying and I keep shushing her gently and reassuring her, not letting her go. She was just a child. An angry, sad, confused child damned to hell on earth, not even fully in control of her animatronic prison. Her life taken far too soon, yet she was not granted the peace of death for years to come. All she wanted was to be free, to be happy, to be a kid. Sweet Elizabeth would never willingly hurt me. 

"I love you Liz, I've missed you"

Her nose is running all over my shirt but I don't care. Our bittersweet tears stain each other's clothing. We're both so overwhelmed we don't even notice someone else approaching us. 

Still down on Elizabeth's level in our tight hug, I open my previously squeezed shut eyes, only to see Evan standing there right in front of me. 

My heart feels as if it's stopped. 

a/n: this chapter felt kinda short but it would feel too rushed if i were condense a lot of plot into one chapter. so for the sake of quality, Michael and Evan's meeting will be in the next chapter.

thanks for reading :)