Thanatophobia| MICHAEL AFTON x READER

1| Michael Afton

1st person

abbreviation notes-

y/n- your name
y/h- Your height
f/c- favorite colour
l/n-last name
f/f-favorite food
a/n- add name
s/n- Street Name
b/s- Body size
h/c- Hair Colour
h/l- Hair length
any added will be explained.

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The time is 4:15 am. I woke up to my phone alarm blaring in my ear on the end table next to my bed...Today was the starting day for a job I just recently got hired for, and id be lying if I said I was excited. Places like this were known for their horrible reputation and dangerous entertainment...however, this position paid well, and you weren't going to be staying long, hopefully.

I threw my legs over the edge of my bed and slowly slid the f/c house slippers onto my feet. I ended up just sitting there for a few minutes, contemplating my life choices. Waking up at 4 am every morning was going to do a toll on me, and I'm not prepared for it.

I forced myself out of bed.

I took a shower, which wasn't quick...The warm water gave me goosebumps, and I knew I would be cold if I got out, which is what caused my reluctance... At 5 am, I made it back into my bedroom.

The employee uniform was fun, at least. The trousers were navy blue and well fitted. Not baggy, but not tight either. A yellow, sleeveless vest went over the cyan button-up, which I tucked into the trousers and secured with a utility belt. a navy tie, which matched the trousers, fit snugly around my neck, but I tucked it behind the vest anyways...it looked funky any other way. Finally, the oxfords were shiny black. I wore grey socks to match them, but they weren't visible with the trousers on.

I stepped back to look at myself in the full body mirror beside my wardrobe...I felt okay.

-

It was raining when I finally made it out of my flat, so I took the tube. This was faster, anyways, so I arrived at the Pizzaria around 5:40 am. 20 minutes before my shift began. I was the first to arrive, at least for my shift.

Of course, as I expected, the manager and property owner were there whenever I unlocked the doors to let myself inside. Their back was turned to face me, so the only distinct thing I could get from them was the mop of brown hair, which looked almost...artificial? It couldn't have just been because of the dim lighting. Not all of the lights were on.

The uniform they wore was almost identical to mine, however, the trousers were a bright yellow, which matched the vest. I supposed this was so they stood out among the common staff.

"Hallu," I said quietly, not wanting to startle them...however, they jolted anyways and turned around quickly. I wasn't able to see his face...He wore a white mask in the shape of a bear face. It had a smileyy face drawn on. It was quite the cute mask, in my opinion.

"ah-" They said, their right hand coming up to scratch their neck. Their hands were wrapped tightly in white bandages. "Hallu. who are you?" based on how his voice sounded, I assumed he was a male...the posh hitch that cracked in the back of his throat made me want to laugh. I defiantly startled him...

"Sorry..." I started, now standing awkwardly. I wiped my palms on my trousers to keep the sweaty, clammy feeling off of them. "I am Y/N, L/N. I was accepted for a job here about a week ago-"

"Ah!" He said, clapping his hands together awkwardly. "Rightyo...I didn't expect anyone to show up until at least 6."

"How many others are there?"

"In your shift? I'd say about six..." He said uncertainly, tilting his head to the side as if he were trying to think of a number off the top of his head. "Possible seven...I'd have to read the schedule again. haha."

The laugh sounded forced, which made me cringe slightly.

"Right then, lovely." I hummed, now letting my eyes wander around the large room. It had about twelve long party tables, all filled with party cups, hats, plates, balloons, and a few advertisements for a plumbing and chip company. There was a large, wooden stage near the front, which held four robots. One was a happy-looking front, another was a black bear, which looked janky, another was a brown bear, which was shiny and funny looking, and the last was a small crate with foam hands on each of its sides. I took a liking to the crate.

"That's number-one crate." The manager said suddenly, making me jolt...The bloke needs to stop being so quiet.

"Charming..." I said slowly...On the far left corner of the building, a large robot filled with candy was moving around just a little, jingling a funny tune. On the close left corner, a large ball pit and climbing area sat. That looked fun. There were two clown-shaped drink dispensers on the right wall, and a smaller stage was displayed next to them. The curtain on that one was closed, so I couldn't see what was on it.

When I turned back around to look at the bloke, he was just sort of...standing there awkwardly. It looked like he was waiting for me to criticize, even though I couldn't see his expression.

"So..." I said dryly, tapping the floor with the tip of my right oxford. "What do I call you?"

"Ah!" He looked almost startled, making me cringe again. "Mike Schmidt..."

"I see..." I looked back at the tables, then at the robots. That black bear gave me the creeps...The time was correctly 5:55 am, and the door opening again caught my attention. Around three other people walked in, all in the same uniform as me.

"Ah!" Mike said, clapping his hands together once more as he approached the newcomers. "Welcome. Im glad you all showed up."

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