Chapter Text
Evan blinked awake slowly, scrubbing his eyes to get the crust out. It'd been a few days he'd had any of his nightmares, or, whatever .. those monsters were - which was incredibly shocking - but he decided not to question it, thank the heavens and keep going. Tomorrow was another day, after all.
It had also oddly, been a few days since psychic fredbear spoke to him.
He figured fredbear would eventually return. Maybe he just went on a vacation.
"Get me some souveniers on your way back, okay?" The younger boy spoke to the plush, tracing the sitches along the pads of his thumb. No response.
The school year came and went. Evan's summer break already started, but Michael still had 3 days of school left.
To say Evan was worried about Michael was an understatement. Evan realised from a very young age that his family was not normal, the way his father would leave them at home for weeks at a time, the way he spoke to all of them, the way he tossed Michael around like a ragdoll.
He'd made a friend, Fritz. As he ponders, he recalls a memory, it's an autumn night, Fritz convinced Evan to stay over for dinner, his mom slides a record into the record player. It has an orange colour, and a nice song plays. It has guitar in the background. Michael likes guitar. Fritz says it's a "jazz song". Evan doesn't really know what that means.
Fritz's mom smiles and sings along, she glides around in the kitchen preparing their dinner, her skirt swayed as she moved. She seemed so at peace, and serene in that moment.
The warm smell of a bolognese sauce wafted through the room. In that moment, Evan wonders how his mom was like, he hardly knew her. She divorced father when Evan was around 3.
Michael remembered her the most, but he hardly mentioned her.
Evan knows Michael keeps a worn out picture of all of them in his wallet. It's a picture their mother took. They're out on a picnic. Michael is holding a baby Evan in his arms, giving the camera a wide grin. There's a gap where is baby front teeth used to be. A young Elizabeth is leaning on Michael's shoulder, eyes closed, and lips parted, seemingly in a deep sleep.
They don't sit at the dinner table, but at the kitchen counter, it feels more personal, Evan thinks. The Afton family dinner table is grandiose and wide. There's so much gap. Space between each member seems to stretch on and on. It's very pleasing to the eye, but far too formal and distant to be called a place for the family to gather at the end of the day and share a meal.
Maybe that's why mother left. She felt the gaps and spaces far too suffocating.
Michael always filled those spaces for Evan and Elizabeth. Father's dismissive nature impacted all of them, but Evan was perceptive enough to know that it affected Michael in most sevierity.
Evan and Elizabeth had Michael to look after them, but when Michael was their age he had no one.
Evan ponders all of this while staring at his pasta, Fritz nudges him and pulls him out of his thoughts. "What're you staring at it for? This pasta isn't going to eat itself!", the boy chuckles. He has pasta sauce at the corners of his mouth and gives Evan a wide grin, before turning to his mother, "It's soooo good ma! I love it so much!", he rejoiced. His mother returns his smile with equal warmth.
Evan is pulled out of his reflection when Elizabeth bangs on his bedroom door. "Open up, Evan!". The boy stumbled out of bed and pads towards, swinging the door open.
"What's the time, Lizzie?", "It's 11:20 Evan! You slept in wayyyy too much," Elizabeth starts on her tangent, while tugging him around by his wrist, "you should be happy Father isn't home today, he would be so mad".
"H-huh? Oh." He hadn't realised he slept for that long.
"Michael's still asleep, though", Evan frowned at that. "He was outside late yesterday, with Jeremy, so I think he's tired.." Elizabeth informed him, while filtting about in her room, seemingly searching for something. She was still dressed in her nightgown.
"Oh. Where did father go?", "Somewhere. Business trip." Elizabeth said dismissively.
"What are you looking for?"
"My hairbrush.."
Evan sat down on her bed, his feet didn't touch the floor. He swung his legs back and forth.
"Aha! Got it," Elizabeth exclaimed triumphantly.
"Congrats"
The girl stomped over, holding out the brush, waving it in his face and looking at him expectantly. "What are you just staring for?"
"You.. want me to brush your hair?" Evan responded with an incredulous look on his face.
"Isn't that something you can do yourself?"
"Well I could but why should I, when I have two brothers to do all the work for me?"
Evan sighed and took the brush from her hands. The girl sat on the floor as even combed through tangled strands of wavy mandarin-coloured hair.
Halfway through brushing her hair, Evan's mood dampened with a realisation. Elizabeth took after mom, with her hair, her eyes and according to Michael, parts of her personality. Michael had very fond memories with mom. Evan didn't have either. It was another thing that made him feel a little more isolated from everyone.
'Why do you look like that?" Elizabeth probed. "Like what?", "You're making that expression Mikey always makes".
"I have no idea what you're talking about"
"Yo- AH" Elizabeth yelped, as Evan playfully tugged on a strand of her hair. Her eyes fumed, as she glared at the boy. Evan burst into a fit of giggles. His laugher amplified when Elizabeth grinned maliciously and gripped his stomach, wiggling her fingers.
"HEY!- H-hah- Stop that!- Stop tickli- I'm sorry, heh- I'm sorry!"
After a few more agonizing seconds, Elizabeth let up and let go of the smaller boy and collapsed next to him on the bed.
Evan sighed heavily, wrapping his hands around his stomach protectively, "Don't do that again.."
"No promises," The girl said cheekily, smiling so wide her dimples showed.
The two stared at the pale cieling, as afternoon light filtered through his sister's lilac curtains. Michael should be here too, with them, joining in on their laughter, combing Elizabeth's hair, and joining Elizabeth to tickle Evan.
"We should have a sleepover, or.. a movie night", Elizabeth piped up.
It's like she read his mind.
"Yeah" Evan says simply. "Tonight?"
"Tonight".