The Fall of the Aftons

104: William Afton

When William returned home, he wasn't surprised to see that Michael had already fed, bathed, and put his siblings to sleep. But he was surprised to see that Michael himself was still awake, sitting at his desk in his room as he worked on his homework assignments.

He knocked on Michael's bedroom doorway, pushing the door open and stepping inside ever so slightly. Michael flinched and looked at him, surprised.

"H-Hi," Michael stuttered nervously. "I didn't hear you come home." He chuckled nervously. "May I help you?"

William laughed softly. "Could I talk to you real quick?"

"Uh... Yeah, but can it wait? I'm almost done with all of my homework," he said, turning back to his homework. "Almost done." But, after a few seconds of writing, he hissed in pain and clutched his hand as his pencil dropped onto his desk. "Actually, I think now is okay. I could use a short break." He spun in his swivel chair to face William. "Come take a seat."

William chuckled and stepped further inside, then took a seat on the edge of Michael's bed. As he sat down, he saw that Michael's hand was wrapped with bandages. "Before I start, what happened to your hand?" he asked, frowning slightly.

"Nothing important. I'm fine." Michael let go of his hand, letting it drop to his lap. "What do you need to talk about?"

He hesitated before replying, uncertain of how to start what he was trying to say. "I'm really sorry, Micha--"

"Why?" Michael asked, cutting him off.

"If you let me speak, I can tell you," he said, quiet laughter filling his voice.

"S-Sorry." Michael looked at the floor guiltily.

"It's fine." He chuckled, then sighed. "When... When I adopted your sister, I pretty much just... I started to ignore you. I only ever paid attention to you when"--his voice cracked and he cleared his throat--"we fought. I didn't realize how little I actually gave you the attention you needed until last week." His vision blurred from tears and he quickly wiped his eyes. "I despise how terribly I've treated you recently. It reminds me of my mother, and she was a horrible lady." He swallowed hard, then took a deep breath. "I'm especially sorry about how I acted when you returned from the hospital. It isn't your fault that your leg drags behind you. I don't know why I didn't realize that, and I'm really sorry for how I treated you because of it."

Michael's eyes darted around the room, his expression glum. "I... I have mobility in my leg now. I-I have for m-months now. I regained it at the beginning of last summer." He fiddled with his thumbs and squirmed in his seat. "I never pointed it out because I had just gotten used to it dragging around when I, um... I eventually could move it again. The strength in it was feeble, so I was worried that I would lose function in it again." He looked awfully nervous, but he didn't know why.

"Oh. Well, that's great." William laughed a tiny bit. "I'm glad that you can move your leg again. And to think that you nearly died when you were bit," he said jokingly, soft laughter filling his words.

Michael shuddered, staring at an invisible spot on the floor with wide eyes as he trembled. His hand reached to the scar from his surgery, tears making his eyes sparkle. "Thanks for the reminder," he mumbled, looking away as he squirmed.

"Sorry."

He swallowed hard and avoided eye contact. "It... It's fine. I j-just need to get over it."

"I... Um... Okay." William sighed. "I'm so sorry, Michael. I never meant to be so neglectful to you."

"It's fine. I'm used to it."

"But you shouldn't be used to it. That's the problem, kid--you're used to being ignored and flying under the radar. I don't want you to be. I want you to know that I'm always here for you, no matter what happens."

He nodded his head as he messed around with the bandages on his hand. "Thanks. I don't mind, though."

"You should mind, Michael! I'm your legal guardian, I should be caring for you properly."

Michael hesitated, staring at William with an unintelligible expression. The only thing that William could read on the boy's face was disappointment. "I... I'm aware that you're my legal guardian." He hesitated again, his expression turning slightly bitter. "But you're forgetting how I grew up. My birth family... We were poor. I was often left home alone. Illegally, yes. But I was still alone. I was very independent then, and I'm very independent now." He chuckled awkwardly. "But thank you. It means a lot."

William chuckled. "You're welcome." He stood up and ruffled the boy's hair. "Well, I'll leave you alone now so you can finish your homework. Good night, Michael."

Just as he left, he could hear Michael mutter to himself, "'Legal guardian?'"