The Kids Weren't Okay || FNAF

4 || Playdates, June 1975

(Unedited, Not Proofread, 3896 words)
Trigger Warnings: None?

Part of Olivia loved summers. The warm weather, the fruit salads, the kids running in and out of the house as quick as they could— sometimes draped in clothes with unknown origins and other times soaked from pool dips. She loved the colorful sunsets and nights warm enough to stargaze on. She loved the rain showers that Alexander always took her dancing in. And above all else, she loved spending time with her friends and family.

The other part of Olivia hated it.

That was not the case for Benjamin Radley. Every bit of the four-year-old he was loved summers with such a fiery passion that he could be brought to tears when the leaves started changing colors. Of course, he loved the warm weather and the fruit salads and running through the house as quick as he could, but he also loved things only four-year-olds would admit loving. He loved the bugs crawling on the front porch— the worms on the sidewalk were really his favorite, though. He loved the lightning in the sky at night and how it lit up the clouds. He loved the taste of fresh sandwiches and iced tea made by his mother. He loved watching Amelia make friends. He loved the little things. He loved the big picture. He loved it all.

He became a face with many names over the summer. To his mother, he was Benny— unless he was in trouble, then he was Benjamin. To his father, he was Ben. To Mr. Afton, he was Radley Jr. To Miss Clara, he was Dear. To his friends, he was just about any variation of his name that they could think of. Ben, Benny, Benja, Benji. He had heard and accepted them all. He had no preference— or at least he never said he did.

But there was one name he was proudest of. One name he always responded as quickly as he could— because he always knew who was on the other side.

To his little sister, he was Frankie. Amelia— in all her two-year-old ridiculousness— had heard Olivia call him Benjamin Franklin once and she had taken it and ran. From that point on, she only ever called him Frankie, and she was the only one allowed to do so. For some off reason, Benjamin refused to respond to anyone else calling him that name— almost as if he only associated the name with himself when it was his sister's voice. 

This nickname confused their parents at first. Benjamin's middle name was, in fact, Franklin. But they had never acknowledged Amelia understanding that fact before. Then they heard Benjamin calling Amelia "Eary" ("air-y"), and they figured it out.

Benjamin Franklin Radley and Amelia Earhart Radley.

The kids were clever.

To Michael though, Benjamin Franklin Radley was only to be addressed with a tap on the right shoulder, and that's how the playdate started on June 19th, 1975. 

"Bye, Olivia!" Clara sang as her friend waved goodbye from the bottom of the front porch. "Bye! Say bye, kids!" 

"Bye Mommy!" Amelia waved with both hands and a huge grin on her face. Benjamin was much tamer, only waving with one hand and a gentle smile. As he waved, he felt a light tap on his right shoulder and he turned to greet Michael as the five-year-old approached him. The oldest Afton child waved once Benjamin had turned around, and Ben couldn't help but smile. 

At four years old, Benjamin understood something that most adults at the time would take years to come to terms with. He understood that Michael was a bit different. He didn't talk much, he stayed to himself when in crowds, and up until a while ago when Ben first discovered Michael had a love for bugs, Ben hadn't been sure that Michael even had a personality. But once he saw Michael using a leave to pick up a ladybug that had clung to the screen door leading to the Afton's back yard, he had realized there was actually a person— a friend— behind that quiet face.