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Michael wrenched open the door to his house as his father trailed behind him.
The steps felt like they were on time with heart beat, a wild thunkingthat made breathing and thinking difficult.
“Michael, you are not going to your room.”
“Fuck off,” Michael growled, his body thrumming with nervous energy, “you don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“You are my son and I am your father and we are discussing this. Without the excessive swearing.”
William didn’t sound angry, more resigned to his fate. He was becoming used to Michael’s delinquency but this was not something he treated lightly.
“That was my coworker, the manager of one of my largest restaurants. You have no idea the stress you put people under. I have tried time and time again to talk to you—“
“Oh my fucking god, I’m sorry, alright?”
“Michael William Afton, I told you to stop with the swearing. You want to be treated like an adult but refuse to act maturely. They’re children in this house.”
“Right, care about the children you want.”
Michael sneered and made his way to the kitchen, hands shaking as he filled up a glass of water.
“Look at me when I’m speaking to you, Michael.”
“What part of fuck off do you not understand?”
“You are not allowed to speak to me, or anyone, like that. What made you think it was okay to smoke in their house? To pressure their son?”
Michael turned to William with a deep scowl on his face.
“No one was pressuring anyone.”
“That wasn’t what it sounded like. And lose the attitude.”
“What are you gonna do? Ground me? Lock me away? I could literally care less, Will.”
There was a silent fury in his father. Michael could not be controlled, could not be rebuilt, and could not be reprogrammed. He just refused to listen.
“What do you want me to do for you Michael? I have tried, time and time again, to understand these outbursts of yours.”
“Outbursts, yeah. You know what? For someone who’s so fucking smart, who always brags about how you’re such a goddamn genius, you can’t understand people at all. It’s why Mom divorced you, it’s why you and Henry are barely a couple. Honestly, I’m surprised you haven’t shown up with a robot and admitted you were fucking it and moving halfway across the country. Every time you’re here, it feels more like you’re halfway across to a workshop in that shitty head if yours.”
There was silence, a dreaded silence, as William stared over his son
“Everyone, everyone around you tells me how intelligent you are. How you just don’t apply yourself but if you did, you could achieve great things. But from where I’m standing, you are out of control and overly emotional. You can’t have an intelligent conversation for the life of you. You are another average, dim-witted teenager—“
There was a loud shattering noise close to William’s ear as water burst everyone and Michael was heaving in front of him.
Michael wanted there to be satisfaction but instead there was more like drawling emptiness as he stared at his father who hadn’t even twitched yet.
“Get out.”
“What?”
Michael questioned even though he knew, he knew.
“You’re going to your mothers,” and his father grabbed him by the arm and was dragging him like he was a garbage bag, “and explaining to her exactly why.”
“Let— GO OF ME!”
Michael twisted in his father’s grasp but William was steadfast in his decision and the front door opened and he was pushed out.
“When you are ready to have a mature conversation, that is when you are allowed in my house again.”
And the door was slammed shut.
Michael immediately started banging on it, desperation and anger rising in him.
“I knew it, I FUCKING KNEW IT! You can’t father for shit, you’re a fucking coward. I hate you, I hate your fucking guts, I’ll hate you for as long as I live, I swear to god.”
His voice was cracking and he had the urge to sob, plead, and beg for forgiveness, but he couldn’t bring himself to.
“Open the door, open the fucking door!”
Maybe he was already doing one step out of the three.
His father did not pay attention to him when he chased his approval and he did not pay attention when Michael chased his disdain.
And the distance between Michael and his father became an even larger void of a chasm.