Chapter Text
Today was the day.
Today, you were meeting Michaels family.
It was pretty nerve wracking honestly. You desperately wanted to make a good impression. And what would happen if you didn’t? Would they think less of Michael because of you?
You knew it was ridiculous, but you couldn’t stop the thought from popping into your head.
Apparently, Michaels dad was hosting a cookout. From what you knew about him, this was very peculiar. William Afton was definitely not a people person.
Despite that, the fact that it was happening was pretty lucky. It was difficult for Michaels family to all get together. This was why you hadn’t met any of them yet despite being with him for a little over a year. Michael said it would be better to meet them all at once.
Currently you were both in the car, on your way to Hurricane.
There.. wasn’t much to look at honestly.
Turning to Michael you decide to get more information on this cookout, “so who’s going to be there?”
“Well, my dad will be there, obviously, my sister, Liz, my brother, Evan, my Uncle Henry, his kids Charlie and Sammy, a few people from town… oh and Jeremy.”
“Jeremy Fitzgerald?” You ask, just to make sure. “How many Jeremys do you think I know?” Michael questioned with a small smirk, turning to glance at you.
“Well, I don’t know! For all I know there could be three of them!” You shoot back, a matching smirk donning your face.
Michael chuckles. The car was pulling up to his childhood house. The two of you didn’t live far, just outside of town actually.
The house was honestly small for the amount of people who had lived there. You didn’t believe there was the space for everybody to have their own room, you’d have to see it to believe it.
The two of you got out of the air conditioned car and into the summer heat. You were glad you wore light clothes today because Jesus, was it hot.
Michael walked around from the other side of the car to stand next to you.
That thought was circling back. It plagued your mind and made your palms sweat from something other than the heat.
“Are you okay..?” Michael questions softly, taking hold of your hand and rubbing his thumb back and forth along it.
“It’s just.. what if they don’t like me, Michael..?”
His eyebrows rose in shock. Quickly, Michael grabbed your other hand as well and held them both up to his chest.
“Why wouldn’t they like you? You’re wonderful and they’ll know it, don’t worry so much about first impressions.”
You didn’t completely believe him, if everything you heard about his father was true, but he looked so sincere.
So you swallowed your pride, gripped his hand tight, and walked into the belly of the beast.
Or.. more like right in front of the mouth of the beast..
You lost your nerve as soon as you were about to knock, backing away from it like it would attack you.
“Maybe… you should knock.. heh,” you stammer out, trying to appear like this was a totally normal decision you just made and not you being a coward.
Michael rolls his eyes jokingly with a small huff. He reached a fist out to knock on the door three times.
The two of you only had to wait a moment before the door was opened by a man with dirty blonde hair.
“Michael!” The man explained, reaching out and pulling Michael into a bear hug.
Ah, this must be Henry.
“Uncle Henry!” Michael exclaimed, hugging back just as tight.
You smiled, seeing Michael truly happy was always a blessing and right now he had the biggest smile you had ever seen on him.
“Ah! Is this them, Michael?”
Suddenly all the attention was on you.
"Yes, this is my partner!”
Henry smiled and reached out his hand, “Nice to meet you, I’m Henry!”
You grasped his hand in a firm handshake, his hand was incredibly rough but he held your hand softly.
“I’ve heard a lot about you!”
Henry beamed at that and glanced at Michael, who had looked away in embarrassment.
“Well, you two should come in!” Henry moved away and gestured inside.
The three of you made it through the house to the backyard. On the way you saw multiple photos on the wall, most of them were of the Afton children. You had to admit, Michael was an adorable child, with a wide smile and big doe eyes. One of the pictures was of a beautiful, blonde woman wearing a bright blue dress. She was sitting on a blanket by a tree, clearly on a picnic, beaming at the camera. She must have been his mother. Michael didn’t often talk about her and you didn’t ask, knowing it was a sore spot for him.
Making your way to the backyard you saw many people chatting. You recognized a few of them as Michaels family.
Maybe it was the summer sun beating down on you or being surrounded by a million people you didn’t know, but you were beginning to feel overwhelmed.
This was a mistake, you should have put it off for longer. There was no way you could do this, would Michael be mad if you asked to leave already? Or to at least go and sit inside for a little while?
Was it getting hard to breathe?
Suddenly, you feel Michael grasp your hand again. His face was twisted in concern.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” He asks quietly, making sure only you two could hear.
“I’m.. a little overwhelmed..” You admit.
“It’s okay. I’ll stick with you the whole time, just hold my hand if it gets to be too much. And if you really can’t do it, we’ll leave.” He smiled reassuringly.
You think about it for a moment, eventually nodding slowly. Michael was always looking out for you, the least you could do was trust him.
Michael smiles and leads you over to two people standing by a snack table.
The girl was blonde and wearing a pastel pink blouse, the boy had dark brown hair and looked pretty similar to Michael.
“Liz, Evan!” Michael exclaimed.
shitshitshitshitshit
“This is my partner, who I told you about,” Michael continued talking, gesturing to you and completely unaware of your crisis.
“Oh! Hi, I’m Elizabeth but you can just call me Liz!” She reaches her hand out, all smiles.
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you!” You return her handshake, not as firm as Henry’s but her hand was much softer.
That was probably a weird thing to notice, but you were focusing on what you could to keep your cool.
Evan turned to the two of you.
“Hey, I’m Evan,” He said with a mouth full of watermelon.
“Evan!” Liz and Michael say at the same time, equally disgusted and embarrassed.
“Damn, sorry I guess.” He shrugs.
He wasn’t sorry.
“euhh.. well.. we better get going, gotta meet everybody.” Michael says, waving goodbye and bringing you over to a smaller table.
A girl was sitting at it alone but clearly waiting on someone. She had dark hair and a green jacket. When she saw the two of you, her face broke out into a smile. Kind towards you but teasing towards Michael.
“Charlie..” Michael said, it was a question disguised as a greeting. He too had noticed the slight smirk.
“Oh hey, Michael! I didn’t notice you there,” she replied, smirk still present.
“Well you looked right at me while we were walking over so that’s a blatant lie,” he was glaring at her.
…
Awkwaaard..
Charlie turned to you, the awkwardness leaving the air. Slightly.
“I’ve heard good things about you,” she says kindly.
“Oh- uhh, likewise,” you stammer, slightly thrown off with the sudden switch in demeanor.
Just like everybody else, the two of you shake hands.
Hers was softer than Henry and Liz’s but her hands felt worn. Looking down you realised they were littered with small cuts and burns.
“I gotta be honest, I was surprised when I heard this dingus was bringing someone back home. Especially someone who seemed so great! Guess he has some game after all,” Charlie laughed good naturedly. You found yourself relaxing and laughing along slightly. So it was all a joke.. well that's good.
“Wh- Hey!” Michael exclaims, “I’ve always had game!”
You raise your brow, really now?
“Oh really? And why have I never heard about this so-called game, hmm?” Charlie shoots back. A challenging glint in her eye.
Michael struggled to find words, but you knew it was a fruitless task.
The sad truth was… Michael didn’t have game.
He had come clean about his game-less past a few months into your relationship. Although you had already realised this, seeing as though you had made all the moves in the beginning.
Michael never had much luck in the relationship department, despite his good looks. He looked intimidating, with his tall stature and slight Resting Bitch Face, and mysterious with his quiet demeanor, but he was the most awkward person you had ever met.
He couldn’t flirt for the life of him. He could shower you with compliments, but flirting? Out of the question.
Michael was still struggling and you decided to put him out of his misery.
“Michael, honey…”
“Whatever! It doesn’t matter!”
Great.. Now he was pouting.
“Maybe we should just keep walking,” you suggest sympathetically, grabbing his hand and pulling him away.
You waved goodbye to Charlie and she waved back, a wide grin gracing her soft face.
You were eager to be alone with him. Well, as alone as you could get. You felt the tension in your shoulders disappear as you two got further from the crowd.
You lead Michael over to a couch on the patio, sitting him down.
You sat beside him and got comfortable, finally letting yourself laugh about the events over the last five minutes.
Michael glares at you with no malice, eventually letting a small chuckle escape his lips.
“Don’t mind her, we have this running joke going on,” Michael explains, softly smiling and looking out into the yard.
“I figured,” You smile, also look out at the yard.
“Henry and William started teaching us how to run Freddy’s when we were kids, so we could take over after they retire I guess, so we've kind of had this rivalry ever since we were little, over who would run the restaurant better.”
You looked at him, his eyes were twinkling. This was one of the only reasons you agreed to this trip. You wanted to be closer to Michael, you wanted to know all the little things about his life. You wanted to see him with people he loved and how truly happy he could be. Of course, you knew he was happy with you, but there was something different when seeing it directed towards other people. Like looking at it from a different perspective.
Your eyes wander back over to Charlie, except, she wasn’t alone anymore. A boy had joined her at the table. He looked about the same age as her and strikingly similar. He was talking animatedly to her about something, but you were too far away to hear.
“Hey, Michael?”
He hums in response.
“Who’s that boy over there? With Charlie?” You question, feeling curious.
“Oh, that’s Charlie's brother, Sammy. They’re twins,” he chuckles a little to himself. You roll your eyes a small bit.
“Well I can see that genius.”
You two go back to just looking, thinking about nothing in particular.
The scene was perfect, like something out of a feel-good movie.
Maybe it was too perfect..
Suddenly, the air shifts. A feeling of slight discomfort settles over you.
You see Michael tense out of the corner of your eye
A tall, lanky man enters the scene. His shirt a dark purple, his face set in a scowl.
Ah, that must be William.
He scanned the crowd until his eyes landed on you. A shiver ran up your spine. His eyes were cold, calculating.
Swiftly, he stalked over. Like a hunter with its prey.
You grasped Michaels wrist to calm yourself. He turned his hand over to grab your hand correctly and held it tight.
You look over at him and see his face is set in a scowl matching his fathers. Although Michael’s wasn’t nearly as cold but more protective.
William finally makes his way over to the two of you. He was a tall man, but he seemed to tower over you even more while you sat on the couch.
“Michael.”
“William.”
Williams frown deepens and his face hardens, if that’s even possible.
Would it be rude if you jumped through the window?
“William, this is my partner who I told you about.” Michael glances at you.
fuckfuckfuckfuckyoumichaelfuckyouwilliamfuckeverything
“It’s.. nice to meet you sir..” you say, shakily reaching your hand out.
He turns his glare back to you although it wasn’t as hard as the one he shot Michael with.
He gripped your hand tightly and gave a firm handshake.
Jesus ow
(very aggressive. hands rough, much rougher than charlie’s, not as much as henry’s. Warning: Do Not Engage)
After the handshake (and checking to make sure your hand wasn’t broken) you looked back at Michael.
He was glaring at William.
Despite looking eerily similar, Michael’s eyes were so much softer than William’s. They held a kindness that you were sure William’s had never seen.
Michael and William were locked in a staring match, you could feel a pressure building and it frightened you.
It kept building until…
“Hey, Will! Come over here for a minute!”
Before the two of them could, presumably, throw hands, Henry’s voice rang out across the yard.
You made a note to thank him profusely when you had the chance.
Taking one last glance at you, William turned and made his way over to Henry.
The sparked energy dwindled the farther William got.
You were finally free to breathe.
Holy fucking shit
You turned to Michael and grabbed onto his shoulder, his eyes had been tracking William but turned to you when he felt your touch.
They immediately softened and searched your face.
After a moment, you spoke up.
“He’s…”
“Horrible? Awful? The single worst person on the entire planet?” Michael suggested, monotone.
“I was going to say interesting,” you chuckle softly.
Michael smiled back at you, the tension finally easing.
You leaned your head on his shoulder, sighing deeply.
This was how you two stayed for a while, laying against each other and watching the people in the yard.
It was quiet.
Until,
“Yo! Mikey!”
A loud voice breaks through the yard. Michael startles and shakes you unintentionally.
You both look around, spotting a man making his way over to the two of you.
A handsome man.
His unruly blonde hair was everywhere, his lean (slightly muscular) body had a nice tan to it, and his hand was waving in the air to get Michael’s attention.
He had a bright smile and was practically sprinting over.
“Jeremy!” Michael exclaimed, pure delight poured into his voice.
You glance over at Michael and noticed the look on his face. It was a familiar one, one you saw everyday.
When he looked at you.
oh
This was certainly interesting..