What lies in the shadows~~~ Michael Afton x Reader

Chapter 4

This chapter has been proofread as of 10/31/23, but please let me know of any errors that I might have missed!

11/08/23 edited for minor mistakes.

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"Mike!" I yell as I come to a halt next to him, dropping on my knees. "Are you ok?"

"I'm f-fine." He splutters. "I just think Moondrop damaged some of my systems when he-."

"Systems?" I cut him off.

"Did I say that? I meant broke or dislocated some of my ribs. I'm just so used to talking about these stupid animatronics." Mike nervously huffs out a laugh.

I stare at him for a moment. His explanation was unconvincing, but considering he basically just got body slammed, I let it slide.

'I'm sure his mind is just scrambled.'

As I help him up, something in my mind nags at me. Telling me there's something more to it. I can almost see flashes of an image from the day I ran into him. His deathly pale skin that almost seemed to have a purple tint. I push that thought down, though. It's none of my business.

"The more important question is, Are you alright? You're zoning out on me. And what about you, kid?" Mike turns his attention to Gregory before I could answer.

"I'm fine. I can handle myself." Gregory doesn't seem to have the slightest bit of trust in Mike. I don't blame him, though.

"I really don't know what we would have done without you, Mike. Thank you." I offer him a warm smile.

Gregory mumbles under his breath something along the lines of "We would have been just fine without him.", so I give him a light smack on the shoulder to quiet him. Mike stiffens, but let's the comment roll right off his shoulders.

"It's nothing, really! I saw that you guys looked like you were in trouble. I did what I felt was right." He shrugs as if he didn't just save us from what I'm sure would have been certain death.

Mike grunts as he finally stands up straight. He hunches back over, clutching his side.

"Are you absolutely positive you are fine?" I put my hand on his back.

"Don't worry about it. Let's get moving-"

"Rule-Breakers! Rule-Breakers! You are banned from the daycare!" Sundrop yells as he stomps towards us.

Sundrop quickly rounds all three of us up. He begins scooting us towards the exit. Anger seeps from every part of him. Despite his permanent smile, I'm almost sure he would be spilling steam from his head if it wasn't for the fans he was equipped with.

"Now, Sundrop! It was an honest mistake! We didn't know! We would never do that on purpose!" I try to coax Sundrop into calming down.

"Sunny boy! If you shove us out that door, the other animatronics will come after Gregory! Please!" I call out to Sundrop again, but he isn't having any of it.

Sundrop shoves us a little too hard out the door. Gregory goes tumbling, and I reach out to grab him, pulling him towards me. I wrap my arms around his head to protect it from hitting the floor. Just before colliding with the floor, I feel a hand grab the part of my head that's about to hit the floor. Protecting me from any kind of damage to my head.

Mike, on the other hand, grunts as we make impact with the floor. "I think whatever Moondrop did to me, Sundrop just reversed it. I probably had something popped out of place."

I suddenly hear Mike stiffle a laugh as he lays on the cold floor.

"Guess I'm still protecting you from injuries." He's trying his hardest not to laugh as I look over my shoulder at him. quirking an eyebrow at him.