Broken Home | Michael Afton x Reader

12. regrets

Three days. It had been three days since Michael had left.

I sat in my quiet apartment, watching some random movie I wasn't even paying attention to. Tears flowed down my face as our fight constantly replayed in my head.

I deeply regretted what I told Michael. To compare him to his lunatic father was wrong of me. I felt disgusted with myself. I wish I would've just listened to him.

"[Y/N], what's going on?" Jess asks, walking into my apartment unannounced, like always.

"Nothing," I sigh, quickly wiping my tears. "Just watching a movie."

"I can tell you're lying," She says, sitting next to me. She could read me very well. "I know you're still thinking about him."

"No, I'm not."

"Look at yourself! Your eyes are bloodshot, and your cheeks are red!" She points out, looking concerned.

"So?" I frown, looking away. She was right, but I didn't want to admit it. She moved even closer to me.

"You need to take care of yourself," She says. "Not to be harsh, but you're a hot mess."

I take a deep breath, realizing I can't keep lying. "I know."

"I hate to see you like this," Jess sighs. "You're my best friend, and I want the best for you."

"I don't know what to do Jess," I say, putting my head in my hands.

She thinks for a second before speaking. "Do you think he's at Freddy's?"

"I... I don't know, why?" I ask, looking back at her.

"Well, maybe he's there," She shrugs. "It doesn't hurt to look, does it?"

"You're right, I'm gonna go look," I say, getting up and running to my room to get ready. It was an impulse decision for sure,  but it was a possibility that he could be there.

I arrived at Freddy's, feeling out of place since it wasn't nighttime like I had been used to. I walk into Freddy's, seeing it packed with kids. I looked around to see if Michael was here. It was a long shot, but it was the only other place I could think he might be.

I walk around the building, trying my best not to trip over children. I look around, finally seeing a familiar face: Jeremy.

"Hey Jeremy," I say, walking up to him. He turned back to look at me.

"[Y/N], what are you doing here?" Jeremy asks, confused to see me.

"I'm looking for Michael," I sigh, scratching the back of my neck nervously. "Have you seen him?"

"I haven't, I'm sorry [Y/N]," Jeremy frowns.

"It's okay, thanks anyways Jeremy," I smile softly, resisting the urge to cry. "I'll see you around, hopefully."

"Of course [Y/N], anytime" He smiles back, going back to his work.

I sigh in defeat as I knew nowhere else to look. I didn't even know if he was alive at this point. I sat down at a random empty table in the dining area, putting my head down as I cried softly.

This sucks. Everything sucks.

"Hey, is everything okay?" A voice asked. I looked up to see Henry sitting next to me. He looked shocked to see that it was me. "[Y/N]?"

"No... Nothing's fine," I choke out. I probably shouldn't be spilling my guts with my boss, but hey, maybe he would understand. "I ruined everything."

"What's going on?" He asks, genuinely seeming to care. I wipe the tears from my eyes.

"I said some things to Mike... Things I really regret," I start, taking a deep breath before continuing. "He lied to me. I don't even think I'm mad at him, I just wish he would tell me the truth."

"I understand that," He nods. "I've known Mike my whole life. He's always been a tough nut to crack. He acts a lot on his emotions, and he says a lot of stuff he doesn't actually mean."

"But it's been 3 days and nothing," I cry. "I don't even know if he's safe."

"I know, but he'll come around," Henry says. "Maybe he just needs time after everything. Times have been really tough for everyone."

"I know... But... I need him" I muttered, feeling embarrassed to admit these feelings, that I didn't even want to admit to myself.

"I promise you, he will come back. He would never leave the people he truly cared for, and I could tell he cared a lot for you" He smiled, trying to make me feel better. I took a deep breath, feeling a little bit better.

"Thank you, Mr. Emily, I really needed to hear that" I wiped my tears, and smiled.

"Of course, anytime. Alright, I'll see you later kiddo" Henry responded, leaving me alone with my thoughts again.

Maybe he's right. I should just give him some time.

Suddenly, I heard a lot of commotion in another room. I quickly follow the noise to see The Mangle walking around, and climbing up the walls.

The Mangle was now on the ceiling crawling around. Everyone watched as it crawled around, either in awe or terror. I was terrified knowing what the animatronics were capable of.

I look over to see Jeremy grabbing a ladder, presumably to get Mangle down from the ceiling. He climbed up the ladder with a broom in his hand, handle side pointed toward the ceiling. He nudged the animatronic with the broom handle, trying to move it.

"C'mon, get down," Jeremy muttered to himself. Parents looked up worried, and so did I.

What happened next was something I would never have expected. The Mangle swung from the ceiling, latching onto his head. My pale turned pale seeing all the blood dripping down as his body went limp, falling onto the ground.

"JEREMY!"

People were screaming as they watched in horror. Parents rushed their kids out as everything went into chaos. I sat next to his limp body, trying anything to save him.

"Jeremy!" I cry. At this point, he was unconscious and I didn't even know if he was still alive.

His hat had been drenched in blood. I could feel myself hyperventilating as I pulled the hat back, revealing the wound. I instantly threw up at the sight of his skull now visible. I sat there, not being able to move from fear.

Paramedics ran into the room, looking down at Jeremy. They quickly grabbed him, putting him up onto a stretcher. They also took notice of me, making sure I wasn't hurt.

"Miss, are you hurt?" One of them asked me.

"No," I mumble. He looked down at me concerned.

"C'mon, let's get you out of here," He responds, helping me up. He led me outside, to where everyone else was gathered around. He said a few words to me, which I didn't hear because I wasn't paying attention, then left.

I couldn't move as I just watched everything going on. Parents and children rushed out, as well as staff members. The whole building was now surrounded by police officers, news reporters, and everything else of the sort.

Commotion surrounded me as I stood as still as a statue. I just lost a friend of mine and I didn't even know how to react. My mind was racing with different thoughts and my brain only focused on one every second, not even letting my thoughts finish.

This couldn't be real. It had to be some sick and twisted nightmare.

"[Y/N], what's going on?" Michael asks, pulling me out of my trance. I was too shocked to question where he had come from, or how he knew something was happening.

"Jeremy... he's hurt," I sob into his chest, barely even catching my breath. I felt his heart race immediately. "I think he's dead."

"Shit..." Michael sighs. I could see the sadness on his face.

"I'm sorry Mike... I really am," I apologize. It felt good to finally apologize to him.

"I know," He says, cupping my face with his hand. "But it's not fair that I kept the truth from you. I wanna tell you everything."