Chapter Text
Birthdays are supposed to be fun. Newly fifteen year old Michael Afton didn't get that luxury. With his ten year old sister Elizabeth being dead and his father ignoring him, his birthday was treated as any regular day. Usually on his birthday, his little brother Chris, who was five at the time, would come running into his room and jump on him to wake him up. This year, Michael woke up on his own. He crept down the stairs to the kitchen. "Dad! Chris!" He called out. He received no response.
Michael had been bullying and scaring his brother, since their sister passed. He would make fun of Chris for his stupid yellow teddy bear, while Michael had his own stuffed animal he loved just as much. He would never let anyone know that. His brother rarely talked to Michael anymore. He was scared of him. Michael just desperately craved his father's affection, and Chris was getting all of it.
He sat down at the kitchen table after toasting a piece of bread. He could only stare at his toast and drum his fingers on the table. He took a few bites of the toast and then tossed it in the trash. In his bedroom, he looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was dark, messy, wavy, and down to his shoulders. The circles underneath his eyes were a dark purple that stood out on his pale skin. His shirt was sleeveless as most of his shirts were. He tucked his shirt into his pale blue jeans and cuffed the bottoms. He grabbed his backpack and jogged down the stairs. He slipped on his shoes and began his walk to school.
After a long day of school, Michael returned home. He kicked his shoes off by the front door. "Dad! I'm home!" He shouted into the empty air. "Right," he sighed, "his car wasn't in the driveway." Michael tossed his backpack onto the couch. He turned over to the kitchen and spotted a note on the fridge. "Was that there earlier?" He snatched the note off the fridge. 'Will be home late, get Chris from school at 6'. Michael tore the note in half and threw it into the trash can. "Asshole." He mumbled. "You never stay late after work. You're only doing this so you don't have to get Chris from school." Michael grumbled as if he were talking to his father.
Just then, the phone rang. Michael groaned and reached for the phone, leaning over the counter. He put the phone against his ear.
"Hello." He deadpanned.
"Hey, kid!" The person on the other end answered with a smile in his voice. It was Henry Emily, his father's business partner and best friend. Michael didn't understand why Emily was friends with a person like his father, but he always assumed it was because Emily was so nice. "How are you?"
"Hey, Mr. Emily. I'm fine. My father's not home, if that's who you're looking for."
"I know, Mike, your dad's here with me at the pizzeria. I wanted to talk to you." Emily was as cheery as he usually was. His cheeriness often rubbed off on Michael when he was around him.
"Me? Why?"
"Happy birthday, kiddo." Michael could hear the smile in Emily's voice. This made Michael smile a little himself.
"You remembered my birthday..?"
"Of course I did. Why do you sound surprised?" There was a moment of silence from both ends. Then Emily spoke up. "Oh.. did William forget again?" Michael's smile was gone now. There was another voice on Emily's end. The accent told him that it was his father. "Nothing, Will. I'm just on the phone with Michael." He said away from the phone. "Sorry, kiddo, your dad wanted something."
"Did he wanna talk to me or wish me a happy birthday?" Michael asked with a bit of hope in voice.
"Oh, no. Sorry Michael he didn't say anything about you." Michael sniffled. "Please, don't be upset, kid. How about this? After I get off work, I'll stop by. I got a gift for you and we could get food."
Michael blinked a few times. Don't cry, boys don't cry. "Sure.. but can you get my dad on the phone?"
"Of course. Give me just a moment." Michael heard Emily set the phone on the counter and call his father's name. He was able to make out their conversation.
"What?" His father asked.
"Michael wants to talk to you."
His father sighed and picked up the phone. "What do you want, Michael?"
"Don't you have anything to say to me?" He asked with a slight smile.
"No... what do you want?"
"You don't remember what day it is?" His smile faded.
"Michael, stop playing games. It's not like it's some special day I need to remember."
Michael blinked a few times, trying to stop himself from crying. "It is dad, and you forgot again, for the third year in a row!" He slammed the phone on the receiver. His hands were shaking with rage. He pounded his fist into the counter. "How can you not remember my fucking birthday?" He yelled. "I'm your son!" He felt hot tears sneak down his cheeks. He wiped his tears as fast as he could. "I just want you to remember that I exist!" He kicked the fridge. He swiftly turned on his heel and stomped up the stairs.
The doorbell had rung a few times before Michael got out of bed to go answer it. He patted his eyes with his fingertips as he slumped down the stairs. When he made it to the door, he peered through the peephole. It was Henry Emily. Michael unlocked the door and opened it to a friendly face.
"Good evening, Mr. Emily." He said, sniffling. Emily stood not much taller than Michael. His hair was a curly dirty blond that rested on his glasses. Michael let Emily in and shut the door behind him.
"Good evening, Michael." Emily was carrying a medium sized box that was neatly wrapped in blue paper. "Are you okay? Your eyes are all puffy." He set the box down on the counter and placed his arm on Michael's bare shoulder.
"I'm fine." He brushed Emily's hand off of his shoulder.
"Are you sure? I don't want you to be upset on your birthday." Michael nodded. "Alright, but you can always talk to me. And I'm not just saying that. I mean it, because I love you." He held out the box to Michael. "Happy birthday." Michael took the box and tore off the shiny paper. Under the paper was a thin cardboard box. He removed the top of the box to reveal a neatly folded, jet black, leather jacket. He stared at it, not knowing whether to smile or cry. He had always wanted a nice leather jacket. Michael looked up at Emily, a slight glimmer of happiness in his eyes. "So, do you like it?"
"It's awesome." Michael smiled, carefully taking the jacket out of the box. The jacket unfolded itself, he kept smiling at it. He tossed the coat on the counter and tightly hugged Emily. "Thank you so much." Michael mumbled into his shoulder.
Emily wrapped his arms around Michael's shoulder. "No problem, kid." He ran his hand through Michael's messy hair. He never wanted to let go. Emily radiated a comforting heat that made Michael feel safe. He never got that kind of affection from his own father. He closed his eyes and imagined that his father was hugging him instead. He knew that wouldn't happen and savored the affection he was receiving. Emily pulled away from the hug. "Put on your jacket and let's get you something to eat." Emily walked over to the front door. Michael, excited for once, threw on his new jacket. It was a bit big, but Michael was a bit thinner than usual. He slipped on his shoes, not bothering to tie them, and followed Emily out the door.
After their dinner, Emily drove Michael home and they soon pulled up in the Afton's driveway. He and Michael both got out of the car. He dug into his jacket pocket to grab the key to his home. When he stepped up onto the front porch, he stuck the key in the lock and twisted it open. He stepped through the door, Emily behind him. Michael froze, seeing his father was sitting at the kitchen table, his little brother across from him. He forgot to get Chris from school.
"What's wrong, kid?" Emily asked, shutting the front door behind himself. He looked towards the kitchen at William who was coldly glaring at his older son.
"Welcome back, Michael, Henry." William said, his voice just as cold as his expression.
Henry stepped into the kitchen. "Look, Will, whatever happened it's not Michael's fault."
"I don't want to hear it from you, Emily." William stood up, his height intimidating to his son. "I don't want to hear your excuses, Michael. You left your brother to wait at school for almost an hour." Emily stood in between Michael and his father. That backfired as he reached out to grab the collar of Michael's jacket. "Where'd you get this?"
"Mr. Emily gave it to me as a gift." He responded, pushing his father's hand away. "And I'm sorry about Chris." Michael's eyes fell to the ground.
"A gift for what?" His father asked, forcing Michael to look up at him.
"My birthday, that you forgot." He spat.
"Don't speak to me like that." William said, yanking on the collar of his son's jacket.
"William!" Emily interjected. His father shot Emily a deadly look.
"You forgot my birthday again! All I wanted was for you to acknowledge that it was my birthday! Or maybe even a damn hug! Is that too much to ask?" Michael shouted.
"It's not your birthday." His father responded, crossing his arms over his chest.
"It is, William. It's my fault for taking the kid out for dinner. I just thought you hadn't planned anything so I'd cheer him up." Emily cut in, once again stepping in between the two. William took his focus from his son to his friend.
"Michael doesn't need you to stand up for him anymore. In fact, I'm sick of you standing up for him. He's not a child, he can handle things himself." William spat back. Henry sighed, adjusting his glasses. "Why did you bother wasting your money on him?" As the two were arguing, Michael escaped up to his bed room. He shut the door and locked it. He sat down next to the door and covered his ears. They argued just like his parents used to.
"Don't fucking cry... You're not supposed to cry..." Michael mumbled to himself. His shaky breath quickened. "What would Lizzie say...?" He said with a breath in between each word. He squeezed his eyes shut, imagining his younger sister sitting next to him. When she was alive, she comforted him when their father would yell at him. She would embrace him and tell stories and jokes until he smiled. After their mother left, Lizzie was the only person, aside from Emily, that he felt like he could truly express his emotions to. Michael would've done anything for her, anything just to see his sister again.
Silence fell on the house, except Michael's breathing that had softened. He lifted his head out of his knees and watched as the sun left the sky. He saw a figure outside his window. She was smiling. She was his sister. "Happy birthday, Mikey!" He rubbed his eyes and blinked to adjust his vision. No one was there.