Son of a Monster (Michael Afton x Reader)

Chapter 41: Settling

A/N:
Hey everyone, sorry it's been so long. I got into a dirt bike accident a month ago and ruptured my spleen. I also got another brain injury so I'm recovering from that, but I'm getting back into things.

I've got a few more stuff going on so I'm not sure if my uploads will stay consistent. It's possible I might have something very serious but I'm hoping that's not the case.

Enjoy, I'll try to stay consistent

_______________

After that rather, awkward, encounter, you choose to hang out with anyone but Michael for a while.

Currently, you were braiding Elizabeth's hair in her new bedroom. Unfortunately, she had to share with Chris because of the house you lived in, but she didn't mind too much. Chris and her typically got along.

"You're acting weird." She suddenly noted, turning a bit. You looked up from her hair and waited for a more complex response. "Why are you being so quiet?"

"Sorry, today was just a big day." You explained, not entirely lying. Seeing your mother did put a strain on you.

"Yeah, but you're never this weird." Elizabeth sighed, looking off to the side. You weren't going to vent to a child. You just weren't.

"Well, if I'm so weird then why are you still here?" You asked, half-serious, letting go of her hair. Elizabeth giggled and turned, refusing to face you.

"Cause! Michael is stupid and Chris is a baby." She whined, still smiling, but also serious about her comment.

Chris, who was actually still in the room, heard that and retorted back. "I'm not a baby! You can't even braid your own hair!"

Elizabeth grunted, disliking the comment. You backed away from her, not wanting to involve yourself in the fight.

"NO! I can! You just haven't seen me do it, idiot! At least I know how to count to one thousand!"

"No you can't!"

"Yes I can!"

"Do it then!"

"Fine!"

You tuned them out after you heard Elizabeth begin counting numbers off. You fully believed she would count all the way to one thousand and you wouldn't stick around for it.

There wasn't much else to do besides play with Elizabeth and Chris. Henry was out getting groceries and you were unsure where Michael was. Not that you wanted to know anyway.

Sighing, you sat down on the couch and went through the TV channels. They could provide some mindless entertainment for a short while.

"Hey."

Startled, you turned around and found Michael standing behind the couch. He seemed to be in a calm mood, with his posture laid back and his hands in his pockets.

"Hi..."

Saying nothing else, Michael took a seat beside you. Grabbing the remote to help find a decent channel. Inevitably, where you both ended up was the news. No cartoons were on at the time.

"Your TV has nothing on it." Michael groaned, sprawling himself all over the couch.

You inched away, "I know. That's why I watch stuff on my phone."

He looked at you for a moment, as if wanting to say something more important, then instead looked down at your phone and raised an eyebrow.

"What's it got?"

"Just stuff like Netflix and HBO Max, not like this shitty TV." You snorted, rolling your eyes.

He nodded. And that was it for your conversation. It was once again awkward between the two of you. You didn't know how to fix this sudden rift. You didn't even know how it started. What had changed? Was it you? Or him? Maybe it was both of you—

"Y/N, what were you trying to tell me yesterday?" His eyes sparked with interested, you cringed at the question. There was no more avoiding it.

"It was nothing. I just—I don't know." You struggled, looking away.

"It wasn't nothing! You were about to tell me something important, I know that. It's been killing me since!"

You stared at him, confused. You didn't know you had such an effect on him like that. It truly stunned you, though, it made you feel good in a way.

"I was trying to say something about family."

"Yes! You were telling me about what real family is, and how it doesn't have to be blood, right?" He looked at you, searching your body for answers. You nodded your head. "Alright, so what was the last part you were going to say? About your family?"

You gulped. He knew exactly what he was doing and there was no escape. Embarrassed, you mumbled, "I was just saying how I thought of you guys as my family, y'know. Since we are always with each other."

Michael looked contempt, satisfied. That's the expression you'd describe his face as right now, nothing else. Satisfaction. It felt like he was about to break your heart with that smirk on his face. You hoped he wouldn't crush you like you thought.

"Why do you look so worried?" He asked, his smile dropping. You felt prickling in your face, you were so nervous. Your heart was racing. Why must he point all these things out?!

"No reason..."

He smiled again, "I think I kinda see us as a family too, especially since you're living with us." He coughed, "And sharing rooms..."

You blushed a bit, surprised he brought that up.

"Uh, is that Henry?" There was no noise.

Michael sat up from the couch and went to the garage, supposedly checking for Henry. You simply sat there and stared into the wall. That was something.

"One thousand! Take that, dummy!" You heard Elizabeth shout.

You decided to get up and make sure they didn't brawl.