Unfortunate Fortunes |✧˖| [Michael Afton × GN Reader]

[23] Masquerade

| Date : February · 18  · 81 | 12:02 AM | Michael's Pov:

I don't know why.. But ever since Elizabeth's birthday has been nearing close.. Something doesn't feel right. 

I look at her from across the living room, seeing her and Evan play with her plush-babies, she calls them. She has a hoard of them in her closet, and from what I can tell, Father has been giving her limited edition ones to shut her up. 

I feel sorry for her, I really do, but I can't do anything about it. If I do, Father will probably yell at me, or slap me. I still don't understand him, but he's so.. closed off. He used to be so open to me and Mother, but that was when I was just born. Those moments are probably irrelevant now, atleast to him.

I sigh as I get up from the chair, looking at the two of them as I walk closer.

"What are you two doing now?" I look at them up and down, scanning the appearance of Fredbear and the plush-babies for a good second. It had alot of flowers and bows on it this time, but its blue eyes staring into oblivion and that wide smile stayed the same. Every single one had that same unnerving face.

Those babies have been getting more uncomfortable for me to look at for too long now.

"We're pretending that Circus Baby and Fredbear are dragons and princesses!" Elizabeth smiled at me, making me look at Evan holding the yellow bear. "Is it wearing a dress..?" I said, taking a double take as I look at Evan's hand. He sighed, looking away.

"Lizzie said that Fredbear should be a princess too.. so I can be the dragon." Evan kept the urge to lament about it under wraps, but knowing him, I could see through him perfectly. He's always been good at masking and hiding his emotions like this, but only around Father. Otherwise, he's more willing to expose his feelings to us.

I take Fredbear, the princess hat and dress barely fitting on the plush body. As I stare at him, I realize how old the thing is. There's stains of dirt and dust Father never bothered to wash. Tiny tears noticeable enough to show off the stuffing sneaking out, and generally worn out.

"Do you want to be the dragon?" I ask Evan, looking at him. He quickly shaked his head, Elizabeth raising an eyebrow. "Well excuse me.. I can't be the dragon, Evan!" I heard Elizabeth yell at her, making me push her away a little.

I never liked seeing them fight like this. If anything, I was the one fighting with them sometimes, despite the good times we have. "Alright, alright. If it makes you two feel any better, I'll be the dragon." I roll my eyes, hiding a smile as Elizabeth leaped around in joy, dropping the plush-baby as Evan sighed in relief.

"For two minutes." I ruffled Elizabeth's hair, snickering as she let out a laugh. "Fine.. but thank you!" She finally sounded and looked content, sitting down and waiting for me as she grabbed the plush-baby. It was nice to relax with the both of them for once, even if I can't shake off the feeling that something isn't right.

🕯️๋࣭ ⭑𓍯𓂃

| 1:--// PM | Nobody's Pov:

Andrew seemingly looked at Rochelle in the distance, seeing her sitting on the endless void functioning as a floor. She's been sitting in the same spot for weeks now, maybe a few months. But Andrew never stopped to try counting the amount of time the two of them have spent here.

He never tried talking to her, thinking that Rochelle was remembering her past, whatever happened in her life before she died. However, the loneliness and silence eventually got to him, making the boy walk to Rochelle's sitting figure.

He didn't know why he wanted to talk to her all of a sudden, but something was gnawing at him to say something, ask something, do something. Anything to clear the fuzziness in his head that the silence brought to him.

Andrew eventually reached Rochelle, looking at her. She seemed to be staring at space, the same hospital gown she wore when she first got here. Andrew took off his alligator mask, dropping it beside him before sitting down next to the woman. He looked down at her hand, a ring on her finger. She never even took it off?

He kept gazing at the ring before looking up at her. Rochelle's eyes were still boring into the black abyss and nothingness that Andrew saw. Eventually, he decided to speak up, sick and tired of the silence endured for months.

"Hello? Mrs. Magic, come on. You've been sitting here for too long." Andrew tapped her shoulder, seeing her flinch out of a trance. Rochelle looked down at the boy, only a little startled by the same sight she'd see if that alligator mask wasn't on almost all the time. The same curly black hair, and rosy cheeks. And the same makeshift holes replacing his eyes, tunnels of flesh dripping with blood. A sight she had gotten used to by now.

"Oh, Andrew. It's nothing, I'm just," Rochelle looked in the distance again, the eyes that Andrew could only assume were once a lovely, cheerful green color that she described, now dulled with whatever emotions he could think she was going through. Grieving, sadness, maybe anger..? "I'm just thinking about my current situation." She finished her sentence, sighing.

Andrew tilted his head, a little confused. He spoke up again, but in a more firmer attitude, despite his voice staying in the possession of the little boy he was. "What situation has you thinking about it for what I could only assume as a few weeks now? Maybe months?" The timeframe made Rochelle flinch a little, closing her eyes before taking a breath.

"Why am I.. still here? Why am I possessing something like you are? Why am I stuck in the body of a robotic ballerina my.. husband, created." Rochelle looked disappointed, and confused. She knew she was most likely able to follow the house, and her family around. Until midnight, when the ballerina would carry her back to what she saw as a field of dead grass and darkness. 

It was the same system every time. Every midnight, the ballerina waited for Rochelle to follow her, taking her away from her family once again as her mind would get fuzzy. Every midnight, the Fetch robot waited for Andrew to follow him, taking him away from visiting his cousins and family. It was the same system for the both of them, the same system for the real Fetch most likely, and it would probably be the same system for anyone else who would be stuck in this hellish purgatory.

"I don't know, exactly. I don't even know why I'm possessing that dog animatronic. Maybe because I died in the pizzeria, but you look like you died in the hospital." Andrew attempted to turn his head at Rochelle as he spoke, trying to look for his mask. Eventually, Rochelle handed the mask to him, putting it on his face. As soon as the mask was adjusted properly, it was like the eyeholes in the alligator restored his eyesight.

Rochelle gave him a smile before turning away. "I had, yes. I died to be able to give birth.. Now my daughter and son have a brother. I know my daughter probably wanted me to stay, but.. Her oldest brother saw that I was in pain, and it would be better for me to pass in peace." Rochelle muttered, changing her seated position.

"A new sibling for them to talk to.. You really wanted them to have that sibling, didn't you?" Andrew sighed, looking up at the woman next to him. Rochelle nodded, smiling to herself. "I didn't want my children to lose the chance to have another sibling, not when they seemed so excited." She finished speaking, seemingly happy with her decision, despite the guilt she faced.

Andrew looked forward, a neutral look on his face, half obscured from the alligator mask. "You're a good mother." The sentence unexpectedly slipped out of his lips, not even he thought he would say it. But he didn't want to take it back. He was a little happy he said that by accident, but he wasn't gonna ever admit it as long as he was still here.

Rochelle let out a small laugh, seeing his reaction. She went to ruffle his hair, pulling her hand back before smiling at him. "Thank you. I mean it."

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[A/N: Hey chat, it's been a while. Please forgive me, I wasn't feeling so motivated at the time, but its Halloween season, it's October, let me cook this once. Okay, mwah.]

-Ann