The Fall of the Aftons

079: Michael Afton

Many weeks passed since baby Elizabeth was adopted. Michael and Evan's school was out for Christmas break. From five in the morning to whatever time William arrived home, Michael stayed home and cared for Evan and Elizabeth. He took care of their every need and spent the day with them. He did everything around the house, too. Michael never had any time to himself when William wasn't home.

But as soon as William returned home--often with Henry--Michael was left to fend for himself. William was so busy with many things that he had no availability. As soon as he returned home, he was off to his office, doing numerous things all at once: helping Henry with paperwork from their restaurants, watching over and playing with Elizabeth, and helping Evan with his dysphasia.

With his father's constant working, Michael seldom received any attention. He didn't mind, though. William had other things to do and other things to take care of than take care of him. He was no longer relevant.

It was nothing new. Sure, it was a little irritating when he needed William and couldn't grab his father's attention, but that was fine. He knew how to handle things on his own.

Not being paid any attention to had its advantages, though. It meant that Michael had all the time to himself that he could possibly want. And all of that alone time meant that he was finally able to finish Evan's Christmas present, just as the holiday was nearly there. The present had taken blood, tears, sacrifice, and many hours of meticulous work to function properly. But he was proud of what he'd done. He couldn't wait to give it to Evan. Just a few more days to go.

Suddenly, a knock on Michael's bedroom door startled him out of his thoughts. Michael set his book down on his bedside table and stood up, careful to avoid all of the junk and scraps on the floor as he walked over to the door. He opened the door a crack, staring at Henry standing worriedly in the middle of the hallway.

"Do you need something?" Michael asked curiously.

Henry hesitated. "Could I... Could I talk to you?" he asked, stepping forward.

Michael's head tilted in confusion. "Why? I haven't done anything wrong, have I?"

Henry laughed softly. "No. No, you haven't done anything wrong. It's about your father. About William." His smile faltered when he stepped into the room after Michael opened the door to let him in. He definitely noticed the mess around Michael's desk and bed. "What's all of this for? Your room is usually so clean."

Michael's face burned with embarrassment. "S-Sorry," he mumbled. "It's all from Evan's Christmas present. I just finished it yesterday, and I haven't had the time to clean up the mess."

"It's okay. You don't need to apologize." Henry chuckled, then sighed. "I don't know if you've noticed this yet, but Will..." His words trailed off as he tried to think of how to word the sentence. "William has kinda been off in his own little la-la land. But it doesn't look like that land includes you. It includes me and your siblings, but not you."

"Yes, I'm aware of the situation," he stated plainly. He was completely aware of the situation, but he honestly didn't care. He wasn't a priority. It didn't matter to him. "Why must I know this?"

"Michael, this isn't a good situation. This needs to be fixed. Don't you want to be paid attention to?"

He shrugged. "Depends on the situation." He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, unsure of what to do with them. "But I just got a little sister. We're all going to have to adjust to it. As of the moment, he's busy with the restaurants, Evan's speech impediments, and caring for a five-month-old. I'm not prioritized, and it doesn't bother me."

Henry looked skeptical. "Are you sure that it doesn't bother you?"

Michael nodded. "Frankly, I sort of enjoy the break. Then I don't have a baby and six-year-old running circles around me. Or crawling, technically, for Elizabeth."

"But what happens when you need William's help for something but he won't give any attention to you?"

"I know how to do things independently."

"So this genuinely isn't a problem? Being ignored by your father isn't an issue?" Henry asked quietly, nervously crossing his arms over his chest.

Michael nodded his head.

Henry frowned. "All right, then. If you ever need anything, you can talk to me, okay?"

"Okay," Michael agreed. But he doubted that he'd ever need Henry's help for anything. He was a very independent person and seldom relied on others for help.

~ ~ ~

Michael watched with excitement as his little brother tore open the wrapping paper on the gift. Little Evan struggled with it at first, but once he got some pieces of tape ripped off, he got it. He carefully opened the box and pulled out the gift, his expression morphing into one of excitement and bewilderment.

"Fedbeah! Is Fedbeah!" he exclaimed, holding the gift in front of him to inspect it closer. He turned to Michael. "How geh? Cos' lah tickess, yeah?"

Michael laughed quietly. "Yes, they do cost a lot of tickets," he replied. "It took a lot of time to gather all of the tickets that I needed to get him for you, but I did it." He reached over and lightly booped his brother's nose. "Just for you, Evi."

Evan giggled, then jumped to his feet and tackled Michael in a huge hug. The plush was gripped tightly in his hand. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

As Evan backed away, Michael looked closely at the Fredbear plush. He could see the small tear he had sewn when he had torn off the tag. And close to that stitching was the faded stain of permanent marker.

The permanent marker where Michael's initials used to reside.