tell me what i want to hear

blind eyes and a quiet mouth

"Hey," Scott called out, managing to catch Michael just before he was out the door. "Have you seen Mr. Afton anywhere? I've been looking for him for an hour."

"No. I don't know where he is." Michael tensed, realizing that he might know exactly where his father is. "To be honest, I don't particularly care to know, either."

"Oh- Well-" Slightly taken aback by Michael's response, Scott replied carefully. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then..."

"Talk to Vincent. I'm sure he'll know where Mr. Afton is."

"I thought Vincent had the day off. At least, that's what he told me this morning."

"I saw him walk in during my break." Michael's expression turned from nonchalant to concerned. Now, he definitely knew where his father was. "I'm sure both of them will be done soon, whatever they're doing."

Scott's gaze shifted toward the safe room hallway. Sure, Vincent had been acting suspicious, but he couldn't truly be planning anything behind Scott's back, could he? There would only be one way to find out.

"Hey," Michael waved a hand in front of Scott's face, noticing how he zoned out while staring into the hallway. "You okay?"

"Yeah-" Scott blinked, glancing into the corridor once more before returning to Michael. "I'm fine. I've just had a lot on my mind lately. I still can't believe a kid went missing today..."

"It's horrible." Michael stood in silence, turning his keys around in his head as he felt Scott's gaze. It felt warm and soft against his face. "I don't like to think about the kid, especially when my own father looks at grieving parents and sees nothing but money. That man makes me sick."

"I'm sure Mr. Afton means no harm. He's probably just trying to keep a level head." Scott shrugged, hoping that Michael would drop the subject. "I'll bring it up when I talk to him later."

Michael felt a sudden chill up his spine at Scott's words. There was no way that Scott would actually believe that William Afton was a good person, right?

"I'll see you tomorrow." Michael sighed.

Scott waved with a smile.

"Bye, see you tomorrow!"

Michael didn't leave immediately, though.

He made a habit of staying a few minutes late on that very day.

The silence between William and Scott was horribly awkward, especially after their past conversation.

"So, Scott," William began, trying to create some semblance of discussion again. "What would you think of an indoor ferris wheel for the restaurant? We've got tall enough ceilings."

"Considering our experience with this ferris wheel," Scott replied, gesturing toward the wheel below them with a blank expression. "I think it would be more trouble than it's worth."

"Fair enough."

William watched as Scott leaned against the side of the car, gazing into the crowd of people below like he was the main character of a movie. If William could be honest, he was sick of it. He wished that Scott would, at the very least, attempt to carry on small talk with him.

An idea abruptly hit William. He cleared his throat.

"Do you sit in silence with Vincent a lot?"

Scott turned to stare at William for a few seconds, his eyebrows downturned. He looked saddened- almost insulted- though he realized that William was only trying to make conversation.