The Fall of the Aftons

168: Michael Afton

"Mikey... Mikey, buddy... You have to get up, my prince," Noah said softly, gently shaking Michael's shoulder. "It's time for your big surprise, mi príncipe."

Michael groaned quietly as his eyes fluttered open. He winced at the bright light coming from the TV, rubbing the drowsiness from his eyes.

"The movie's over. Are you ready for your big surprise?" he asked quietly, a huge smile on your face.

He sighed, exhausted, dragging a hand down his face. "Fine. Let's go."

~ ~ ~

Michael stumbled forward, his eyes closed and covered by a beanie hat as per Noah's instruction. They'd been walking for at least ten minutes! Where could they possibly be going? It was almost eleven at night.

"Noah, are we almost there yet?" Michael asked nervously, holding tighter onto his boyfriend's arm. "I keep tripping over my own—"

Right on cue, he tripped over his feet, flying forward. He crashed into Noah, knocking both of them onto the ground. Michael landed on top of Noah with a heavy grunt, his knee hitting hard against something rough on the ground.

Noah started to laugh. "Are you okay?" he asked, laughter filling his words.

Michael blindly scrambled off Noah, scraping his hands on what felt like bark from a tree. "Y-Yeah, I'm... I'm fine. A-A-Are you okay, though? Did I hurt you?"

"I'm fine. You didn't hurt me," he assured him, then took Michael's hands in his before helping him back onto his feet. "We're almost there. I promise." He gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "Do you want me to carry you the rest of the way so you don't fall again? It's not very far, but I don't want you to hurt yourself more than you already have. Your knees are all scraped up and grass-stained."

Michael nodded.

"As you wish, Prince Michael," he said happily. He moved Michael's hands so that they rested on his shoulders, then wrapped his arms around Michael's waist. He carefully lifted Michael off the ground, his arms shifting so they were underneath his legs to support him better. "How's that? Are you comfortable?"

Michael said nothing, wrapping himself around Noah's torso to secure himself before burying his face in Noah's shoulder.

Noah chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes." He started walking, holding Michael tight, and continued on for about four minutes before he stopped. He carefully set Michael on the ground, gently taking the beanie hat off Michael's head.

"Are you ready?" he asked softly, an excited grin spreading across his face.

Michael chuckled, amused by Noah's behavior. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Noah gently grasped Michael's shoulders, then turned him around. "Surprise!" he exclaimed excitedly, stepping out of Michael's view.

He gasped at what he saw. It was his old hideaway hut that he'd started building when he was eleven. But when he got too busy with taking care of his siblings, he had to give up as much as he could to watch over them—that included leaving most of the clubs he was a part of, most of the sports he participated in, most of the days he worked at the hardware store and William's restaurants, and all hope of completing his hideaway hut.

Looking closer at his surprise, he was amazed at Noah's hard work. Noah had completed building the hut and even found a way to light it up so you could see in the dark—and he hung fairy lights in the trees to give the forest a serene, magical look. He painted the exterior of the hut to mostly blend in with the landscape, yet left it noticeable enough that you could easily find it if you were looking for it. And as he looked through the tiny window in the small door, Michael could see that he'd decorated the interior, too.

"Oh my gosh," Michael whispered. "Noah, this is... This is phenomenal. Thank you so much."

"Thanks," Noah said gratefully, smiling cheerfully. "But I can't take all of the credit. Timothy helped me repair the weather damage it sustained after you couldn't work on it anymore."

"That was nice of him."

"Mmhmm," he hummed. He opened the hut door, climbed inside, and then came out wielding a canvas, holding it backward so Michael couldn't see the painting on it. "This isn't the only part of your surprise. There's more."

"And I take it that the canvas in your hand is a part of it?"

"Yup! Are you ready?"

"I guess," Michael said, chuckling slightly as he shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

"This part is kinda sweet and memorable. But it may be a little bitter," Noah warned. "I don't really know how you'll respond, so please don't hate me for this." He gave a sheepish smile, then turned the canvas around, showing Michael the painting.

It was a painting of Michael, Evan, and Elizabeth. It was like a family portrait, but less formal. Michael was sitting in a chair as Evan and Beth both sat on each of his legs, his arms wrapped around them in a caring hug. He had a small smile, but it was full of sincerity and happiness. Beth had one hand intertwined in his, her face filled with a wide grin that showed her dimples. Evan was snuggled up under Michael's arm, making the same face he'd always wear when he giggled. The painting was so realistic and beautiful; everything about the Afton siblings was precise and exact, all the way down to the last detail.

Tears started to spill from Michael's eyes as he took it in, and he blinked hard, trying to keep more from falling. "Noah, it's... It's beautiful," he whispered. "Y-You painted this for me?"

"Mmhmm," he hummed uncertainly, carefully setting the painting down inside the hut. Once the painting was secure, he closed the hut's door and rushed over to Michael, giving him a huge hug. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to make you cry."

Michael laughed softly, his voice choked by sobs. "N-No, it's okay, th-these are happy tears," he assured him. "Thank you. F-For the painting, for f-finishing my old hideaway hut, for all you've done today... For everything. I love you so much."

Noah's breath caught in his throat. "I... I love you, too, Michael." He pulled away from the hug with tears in his eyes, a wide smile spreading across his face, paired with a slight blush. The tears in his eyes started to fall as he began to laugh, and he wiped his eyes, sniffling softly. "I'm glad that you're happy."

"W-Wait, wh-why are you crying?" Michael asked frantically, starting to panic. He reached up to wipe the tears from Noah's eyes, but Noah stopped him by grabbing his hands. "I-I-I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to—"

"It's okay, Mikey. These are happy tears, just like yours." He laughed softly. "I'm just... I'm just happy that you said you love me."

Michael blushed, looking away for a split second. "I'm... I'm just glad that you said it back. I didn't think before I said it, and your few seconds of silence scared me."

"I'm glad that you did. Really," he admitted, chuckling. "I've wanted to say it for a while, but I didn't want to scare you away."

Michael started to laugh, rubbing his eyes. "I had the same problem! I didn't want to scare you away, either."

"You'll never scare me away, my prince," Noah promised.

"You'll never scare me away, either, my love."

Noah's face turned deep red. "That's my new nickname for you, isn't it?"

He grinned. "Yup." He kissed Noah's cheek. "Is that all to my surprise? May I go inside the hut now? I wanna see how you decorated it."

Noah laughed. "Yes, you can look now. Just watch your step—there's snacks for us inside."